love me those kick's

i love my baby brother.

seriously.

because he knows me oh so very well.

i know this is long overdue, but...

thank you for their matching shoes!

this sister of yours is truly thankful :)

the tale of the macarons

my bestest girlfriend, A. (who is 15 weeks pregnant with twins!)

has been having a LOT of cravings lately.

one of her more recent cravings was macarons

and her wonderful hubby, intent on only pleasing

his very pregnant wife

bought her a box of these yummy treats.

because these macarons are only available at certain places,

i haven't had an opportunity to grab them

until the hubby and i decided to take the kiddies

to the vancouver aquarium for a fun-filled afternoon.

on our way home

we quickly made a stop at the urban tea merchant

where dylan and i stepped out of the car

to grab some yummy delectable treats.

i made the little boy choose which macarons he wanted

where he proceeded to tell me which colors it was

that appealed to him most.

the macarons were YUMMY.

i loved the lemon one.

the little man loved the almond infused one.  

the husband on the other hand???

he posted this lovely photo of our macarons on his facebook page

along with the following description:

Bloody wife bought these bloody "Macarons"
that are just as big as a looney for $4 a BLOODY PIECE!!!!!!!!
 Talk about waste of money.
Geeezzz.... And she gets mad when I buy my video games?!
*toink*

i had the best laugh in weeks when i read that!
it was also followed by this conversation thread that had me

hurling even more laughter at him.

least to say

my poor pregnant girl of a best friend

is in heaps of trouble from the hubby!

all because of some silly macarons!!!

movies galore

for the first time in months (yes, months!)

i was finally able to get my act together

and catch a couple movies i've been dying to see.

i had a date with both my hubby and baby brother

to see the final chapter of Harry Potter

though i will not review the movie

i will just say that it was a bittersweet ending.

my brother was right-on when he said he was a tad sad

for it was like saying goodbye to his childhood

for he grew up in the Harry Potter era.

then on saturday

because the hubby felt cheated that i got to watch my movie

and he hasn't had his pick in ages

off we went to see transformers!

i'm a bit of a boy when it comes to movies.

i like them big, bad and all blown up!

i love fight scenes and guns (as much as i love romance!).

seeing transformers in 3D just made me appreciate it all the more.

i couldn't get over the graphic details of this movie.

it was a terrific weekend filled with movies.

which is so rare for us these days.

before we had kids, i think we watched everything in the theatre.

now it's a treat for us to be able to go at all!

my boys and i

this is week 3 of the hubby being back to work

after a 2.5 month hiatus.

although sometimes i'd like to tear my hair out

and cry myself over tantrums, spilled milk,

a hungry crying baby and a dirty diaper

or to even put myself in the corner for two minutes

for feeling badly about having to put my dylan in time out,

i still try to remember that the good days always outweigh the bad.

like dylan apologizing before i even lose my temper

for something he has done and he knows he shouldn't.

or kaelan cooing and babbling when his kuya (older brother)

is trying to talk to him.

or waking up after a long nap

to find dylan has moved to kaelan's side of the bed

so that he can hug his baby brother and seeing them both fast asleep.

yes, good days definitely outweigh the bad.

and though the three of us are missing their daddy.

i find that sometimes, it's great to have one less boy in the house.

it's one less gray hair on this mommy's head!

pages of my life

in the process of clearing out our storage room

i opened a long-forgotten box filled with some of my childhood memorabilia.

letters from friends in elementary, birthday cards,
high school photos, dried flowers from prom...

each one triggered a memory of days gone by

that brought an instant smile to my face.

inside this big box, i found a smaller box.

hidden in its recess were journals... my journals

counting back from my very first, given by my mama and papa

for my 11th birthday.

it started with `dear diary...` 

and for years i kept on writing...
from tears to triumphs

friendships formed and loves lost

from writing about my day to ranting about a horrid event

these pages formed so much of my life

that i am able to see such a transformation from a little girl

to a grown woman.

my last journal ended in 2002, the year i met my hubby (go figure)

and i did take a break from writing.  

so much so that it took me years to get back again.

but this time, i blogged.
i opened my very first blog with xanga back in 2004
(which is now closed with it`s pages archived)
and my love of writing has resurfaced.

this current blog of mine has been opened since 2009
but prior to that, i have had other entries as far back as 2007
that i have wholeheartedly integrated into this site.

i have been asked multiple times why i blogged.
and why i would want to share so many details of my life
to people who are unknown to me.

my answer is always the same.
i blog for myself --- not for my readers
(though all of you are the delicious cherries on top!)

i blog for the love of writing.
i blog because i have two beautiful little boys and a loving husband
and i want to be able to jot down simple moments
that i will forever treasure with them.
i blog because it`s a reaffirmation of the life i live
and that i am so thankful for each of the blessings that come my way.
i blog when i need to vent, when i need to cry, when i need to laugh and just because.

at the end of this year, this blog will be printed in journal format.
i will add it to my collection of diaries
but this time, with the sole purpose that my little boys
will pull it out from their bookshelf and read of my love for them.

because that is the exact purpose of my blog.
it`s an open love letter to my two most precious little loves.


*pictures via weheartit*

the dusty bookshelf: Baby, I Love You

written by:  Karma Wilson

illustrated by:  Sam Williams

i find that having a toddler at home

who is in the process of learning to appreciate books

is a fantastic time for me

to also fall-in-love with children's books.

Baby, I Love You is now part of our "must reads" for bedtime

and my Dylan gets to say the "I Love You" parts

complete with a tap on my nose 

in a squeaky little voice.

i just adore books ---

and i adore that my son is loving them too!

the dusty bookshelf: Goodnight Moon

written by:  Margaret Wise Brown
illustrated by:  Clement Hurd

Goodnight Moon is our favorite bedtime book.

i remember years ago

when this was first introduced to my baby brother.

he loved this book so much

and has memorized it cover to cover.

it was only appropriate then

that the book became my baby brother's present

to my eldest little boy

for his dedication (baptism).

we have a hard copy of the book

and it is so worn out that you would think 

that it has been passed down a few generations.

but that is how you know a book is good.

because it gets so much use --- too much reads.

and Lord knows how much my son loves it.

that much like his godfather, my brother,

he now has it memorized cover to cover.

they could be twins

my boys are 2 years and a bit apart

but they look so alike at this stage

that they could have passed off as twins!

Day 4 @ BC Children's Hospital

our little man is a trooper.

he is doing so much better and both nurses and doctors

are very happy with his progress.

no more chills and fevers.

no more diarrhea.

no more projectile vomiting.

all smiles for the camera

we are to be kept an extra night and day

just to administer the last set of antibiotics 

via the IV tube.

afterwards, we will be released with oral antibiotic prescriptions.

daddy entertaining the little boy

his ultrasound turned out normal.

his blood culture tested negative for bacteria in his blood.

his urinalysis showed traces of e. coli so we are treating that.

we will have a follow-up in six weeks, then six months.

mommy burping a non-stop kicking little baby

our mr. tsubs is back to normal!
he is currently flirting with all his pretty nurses.

"how you doing?"

ER trip

my teeny mr. tsubs is in the hospital.

we rushed him friday at five pm when out of the blue

a sudden onset of chills occured

and i found myself carrying a very feverish 2.5 month old.

we were in the ER with talks of catheter urine test,

blood work and lumbar puncture.

i insisted they do everything else but the lumbar puncture.

the doctor insisted we do it to rule out meningitis.

i insisted again to see the results of both blood work and urine test

prior to doing a lumbar puncture.

thank goodness i did for all doctors agress he no longer needs an LP.

mr. tsubs, it turns out, is fighting a bacterial infection (UTI).

he gave doctors in the ER quite a scare last night

when all of a sudden, he started convulsing for twenty minutes non-stop.

it was concluded that he was not having seizures, but has rigor instead

as he was quite alert during that time.

it doesn't make it less scary but i was heartbroken to see the him 

in so much pain (and i've had chills before so i know how it feels!).

luckily, the baby boy is responding well to medication.

we have been admitted to the children's kidney ward

and he is monitored around the clock

while his antibiotics are kicking in and doing their job

in helping his system fight off the infection.

it's been almost 24 hours since his last fever

and he is faring much better as per countless nurses,

 four resident doctors, two med students, 

two ER doctors and pediatrician.

we are just waiting for both blood and urine culture test result

to pinpoint exactly which bacteria he is fighting off

to tailor the antibiotics to his exact needs.

but aside from that, mr. tsubs is much more comfortable now

and i've had no more breakdowns as of last night.

as a parent who has made numerous trips to the ER previously

and who has seen firsthand what febrile seizures are like

you would think it would be easier for me

to stomach needles, blood and tests.

or to see a child shaking and convulsing repeatedly

or crying until their little voices are coarse 

or screaming at the top of their lungs

while crocodile tears are falling on their tiny faces.

it is NEVER easy.

let me repeat that.  IT IS NEVER EASY.

especially when it is your own child you have to watch

for you are helpless and feel worthless

and though you want to take away their pain

no amount of cursing and crying will do it.

so last night and today and for the remainder of our time here

(and most definitely for eternity)

i will do the best that i can

by cuddling, consoling and kissing my little boys.

and telling them how much mommy loves them

and how i will never leave them

and how will hold their hand every step of the way.

and for each and every night as always do

i will ask our Father to keep them safe, keep them healthy,

and to always keep them on the right path.

and i will also ask him to listen to me, never leave me,

and to hold my hand in each trial i will have to overcome

as i need him... his love and guidance

to help me be strong and wise and grounded

for my baby loves.

my mornings are for...

KAELAN
yes, that's right.
my early morning start is just for kaelan.

while the little man is asleep
and the hubby is getting ready for work
kaelan gets up at about 5:30am (after 7+ hours of sleep)
and we settle in for a nice hour of baby and mommy time.

it's all about the feeding for the first half hour.
then it's all about the cooing, the tickling, the giggles and grinning
the laughing and kissing, the hugging and dancing
and all those gooey things us mommies do with little babies.

it's our very special time.
just him and i.
getting to know each other quite well.
while the rest of the world is probably still snoring the night away.

finger puppets

my dylan is a massive fan of caillou.

so big that in one of the episodes where caillou made finger puppets

he took off the caps from his markers

and said that those were his finger puppets!

(ingenuity at 2 years old makes this mommy proud!)

so what did this not-so-very-crafty-mommy do?

research online for a DIY finger puppets, of course!

i found these gorgeous patterns at an etsy store

very nice, right?

yeah... no.  i didn't get to make these.

we instead ended up making these finger puppets instead!

*pix from original DIY instruction*

the actual instructions for this DIY called for construction paper

but we decided to use foam sheets instead

and with the help of the glue gun

we were able to create the base!

the hubby who has a knack for art
did the work on the drawing

and we ended up with the chicken!

we also made the elephant and plan on making more.

for now, it's a great small project

and the little man couldn't be happier!

Something Borrowed: "She's a little witch on Thursdays!"

i came across this video online

and thought that i should share.

i was hooting and hollering with laughter

and i kid you not when i say that i had tears in my eyes

by the end of this video.

this kid is just too cute.

i hope you enjoy this as much as i did!!!

p.s. it's been a while since i've posted
a "Something Borrowed" feature.  it's time i bring it back!

grandparents are the best!

my parents came back home yesterday
after an extra long weekend trip south of the border

their first order of business?

visit their grandchildren, of course!

and they came bearing wonderful gifts.

not for their own daughter

but for the kiddies.

thanks mama/yoya and papa/yoyo!!!

for ALL THE CLOTHES for the two boys!

i no longer have to go shopping for their summer outfits now.

not when you've spent a bazillion moolahs on it!!!

grandparents are seriously the best!!!

wouldn't you agree?

two thumbs up!

you got that right!

two thumbs way up high for this little man

who is now the king of his potty!!!

it took us all of four full days to potty train him.  

(remember this post and that?)

on the fourth day... we were jumping for joy already.

we were done!!! (for the meantime, that is.)

who knew that potty training would be like a walk in the park?

i sure didn't but i'm thankful nontheless!

it has been so hot lately...

that on a daily basis i have been craving bubble tea.

and not just any bubble tea.

i have to drag the whole family and drive a solid half hour

just to go to my most favorite bubble tea shop of all.

it seems they are the only one who serves my addiction.

CAPPUCCINO ICE CREAM BUBBLE TEA.

***drools***

seriously, no other shop has it.

and i should know.

i have been ordering the same thing from them 

since i was in grade 9 (when they first opened!)

and that was a good 13 years ago!!!

watermelon & avocado on a super hot vancouver day