The land down under

Me and the kids first set foot here in Sydney last May 15. The travel was ok aside from the occasional stressful scenes like if the kids get cranky on the plane. I had to also deal with frequent spit-ups and throw-ups from them. :)

Adjustment is not really an issue as far as I am concerned. It's just like we are in the Philippines, only with the cold weather which we love! It's getting winter here. I'm pretty lucky that I get to be with my mom until August to help me look after the kids. Super goodluck to me when she leaves by then! haha!

Overall, I am happy that we are living the way we planned and the way we wanted. We can never thank God enough for this wonderful opportunity.

Here's to a good life for us here in Oz!

Andrea Laureen Turns 1!

We held a party to celebrate Lolin's 1st birthday last April 11. Our original plan is to celebrate it in May since Daddy Ian will be here by then. However, nothing is final yet on when he will come home and for how long will he stay here before we take off to Oz, so we decided to have the party this April instead. I had only 5 days preparing for this including looking for a Jollibee venue. haha!

Venue: Jollibee Alabang Junction
My first choice is really Jollibee Festival Mall but as expected, all slots were booked for April 11 when I inquired. I initially have a pencil booking with them for May 9 but it was given to another client already when I forgot to renew my booking.

Just a tip on those who plan to celebrate in a fastfood, make sure that you count the food before the crew serve it. This was my first time with Jollibee (and to any fastfood for that matter) and I was surprised when I saw that the crew were already distributing the food to my guests. Some guests were left waiting for their food because apparently, they did not prepare the exact number. It was also very difficult to check on how many meals did they actually served. When I was about to settle my bill, they were charging me of 5 additional regular softdrinks because some guests requested for it. Duh?! I, myself didn't get to have a drink with my meal plus the ice cream included! I was firm that I will not pay for it plus they didn't have me sign for that. I waited for 30mins or so while the manager is nowhere to be found before i settled my bill. I could have just flown away without paying a cent!

Entertainment: Jollitown Mascots




It was my intention to have the 5 mascots present in the party. First, I anticipate the usual fastfood-party program to be, well, typically boring (sorry for this but this is my own opinion) so I wanted something that will "wow" the guests -- children and adult. True enough, my friends told me they were happy to experience all the mascots present in one party :) And you are right, the kids went enormously hyper when the gang came out. Twirlie was not in the picture because she already came out few minutes before we start the program to receive guests.


Face Painter: John Lord Tobias
My friend's brother is super talented that I got him as my face painter. I just bought face paint.




Party Favors: OMG (Oh My Gifts)






Me and my friend chanced upon this stall in ATC. They were selling cute cellphone holders at 50% off. Got these at 50 pesos each. Too bad they only have 50pcs on stock. For the kids, I bought cute ballpens also in OMG at 49pesos each. They gave me a 10% discount for the pens.

Birthday cake: Red Ribbon



I got this design with a matching Barbie doll which meant a cake and a toy for Laureen. Jollibee gave us a free medium-sized cake also.



Balloon Decors: Party Time
I got balloonderitas and two balloon pillars. They were also my supplier for Laureen's baptism last June.






Tarpaulin: Gail Monzon
My ever-reliable friend :)



Over-all, I was happy with the party considering the amount of time for the preparations. Oh, and the photos? All were courtesy of my guests whom I required to bring their own cameras. haha. It was a good idea since I had the pictures of ALL the guests :)

Laureen at 10 months!

This is my first video project. I was actually inspired by one of my nawie-sister who made an AVP for her son's 1st birthday. Nothing fancy, but I felt happy watching it. Hopefully I would be able to learn more about this before Lolin's first birthday. Teehee!

To our dear Lolin, you will always be our little princess! We love you! Happy 10th month!

Lolin at 10 months from manel cosinas on Vimeo.

Happy 2010!

There's so much to be thankful for the year 2009.

1. Daddy Ian got a new job and got his first trip to Sydney in end of March 2009. Though that meant he was out of the country when Andrea Laureen was born.

2. I gave birth to a healthy baby girl and managed to control my post-natal stress. haha!

3. We transferred to a new apartment which made us very much close to Mama's house! We only needed to hire one helper and it saved us much!

4. I started an events coordination business -- something that I want to do while being a SAHM. Something to look forward to and also became my ME-TIME.

5. And the very highlight of it all -- our Australian Immigrant Visa was approved.

We are really humbled and grateful for the Lord has been so good to us!

And so what's up with 2010? We are on the first week of February and the January just flew so fast. Since our visa was approved, Daddy Ian had to leave for Sydney early this year to (1) find a job, and (2) settle-down. He already accomplished job number 1 (and we are praising God for this). And now he is working on his job number 2 -- to settle down. Hopefully, we would be able to be with him come May. Can't wait!

Weekend Family Day

We usually spend our weekdays in the mall or going out of town to visit relatives. As for today, we went to ATC for Kuya Nigo's haircut, had our usual dinner at KFC. I have let Inigo taste DQ's Blizzard and he loved it! He is most of the time not into sweets but I think that the strawberry flavored ice cream did the trick. I am so looking forward to the day when Laureen can actually enjoy our family days :D

Our DORA Experience

We had the chance to watch Dora and Boots live and perform one episode last August 21 at ATC. The concierge ran out of show tickets so we ended up posting ourselves beside the stage. Inigo was a bit starstruck-ed when Dora and Boots first came out and he did not even blink all through out the show! Laureen was in deep sleep even with the loud sound :)

Here are some pics:

Just visiting!

We had the chance to visit our relatives in San Pablo Laguna last weekend which was also Laureen's first visit. We headed off friday afternoon enough to be on the road before the rush hour.

Nothing beats the hot weather there but it was worth seeing relatives and enjoying some bonding time with Lola Led and Tita Lanie. Shout out to Tita Elaine who is invading Germany as of today! :D

I am happy that we got the chance to check out Palmera's Restaurant which is a few kilometers away from the house. It was a nice place (maybe much nicer during the night wherein they have a band playing) to dine and you get to eat a savory lunch or dinner in their gazeebos and mini-nipa huts. I also loved their little pond where they get fishes to be cooked so you can be sure they have it fresh :) Inigo did enjoy roaming around and exploring the place!

Our Family

Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

Andrea Laureen

We are happy to share with you another God's beautiful blessing to us -- Andrea Laureen!

I gave birth to another bundle of joy (this time, a baby girl) last Monday, 06 April 2009 at the Paranaque Doctor's Hospital thru C-section. Laureen came out at exactly 9:10pm weighing 2.65kls and a length of 48in.

Daddy Ian's 27th birthday...

Disclaimer: This is an already overdue post.. nyhahahah..

Daddy Ian and I celebrated the eve of his birthday having dinner at Circle's in Makati Shangri-La. How timely that his company gave him a price for being a "sort of" model employee.. teehee! (hugz daddy! you sure are doing a very good job!) We ate our hearts out with the sumptuous dinner choices from Filipino to American to Japanese food in the buffet table!

the birthday boy and the wifey starting with their yummy salad entree!



our main course..



the delicious dessert..

Overall, we went home with big (mine already a big one even before! hahha) and satisfied tummies!

The next day, we headed off to MOA for a quick mirienda at Don Henrico's and spent sometime at Tom's World :)



our little boy already fell asleep.. awww....

Inigo's 1st birthday Celebration!

We had Inigo's 1st birthday celebration last January 3 in Pansol, Calamba and we were very happy to have celebrated it with the people who truly, truly love Inigo!

It was very challenging to look for suppliers since I have zero knowledge on the availability of whatever supplier we can get in Laguna. :) Searching the internet and some recommendations from my ever-reliable naw sisters helped a lot. Consequently, most of the thingies in the party are DIY (even the balloon decors).

Food: Cosine's Catering


Cosine's is owned by Daddy Ian's Tito Arnel and Tita Lanie (who, by the way, are also our Ninong and Ninang sa kasal). Since it was a swimming party, we opted to just order food and have it miryenda style lang. We ordered Pancit Malabon, Spaghetti, Morcon, Lumpiang Shanghai, and Rice. Nothing fancy about the menu but the guests were happy with the food kase masarap daw. :) They are based in San Pablo, Laguna.

Cake: Sugarbox


Emily did our wedding cake and there was no other supplier we had in mind when we are thinking of Inigo's birthday cake. We liked the idea that Emily's cakes are personalized and she really is very good in coming up with the idea and the look of the cake depending on the theme. Since we ordered an all-edible 3-layered cake and we need to transport it from Makati to Pansol, she recommended to have a display cake instead and then the edible cakes are put in a box. Guests were surprised when they knew that the cake is just for display because it looks real! Emily was also very generous to give us free cupcakes. hehehe.. Not to mention na super affordable yung price nung cake and hubby was surprised when we knew about the price kase nga mura lang.. heheheh.. super yummy din yung cakes nya..

Photography: Nikko Taytay

I found Nikko through google lang when I was searching for a photographer based in South. He also does wedding photography and was very accommodating answering my inquiries about his services. He was professional enough to be on-time during the party. He stayed with us for about 6 hours or more ata and since I was so busy attending to guests, ako pa mismo ang lumapit sa kanya and asked him if he wants to go na since some of the guests already left na and the kids are all in the pool na. His shots are ok although sana madami pang pictures of the kids in the pool.. hehehe.. But overall, we are happy naman with the pics.

Venue: Plums Resort (c/o Lai: 0921.222.9822 / (049)502.4491)
It took us almost 3 visits to Pansol before deciding as to which resort to book. I think we were able to check out almost all of the private pools inside Miramonte.. heheheh.. If i remember it right, Plums was the first private pool we checked out. ;) The deciding factor was the spacious function rooms and bedrooms. The resort was also newly painted which added to the fact that it looked new.. hehehe.. Also, one plus factor of plums is that Lai, the caretaker was very easy to talk to and they do not have any additional charges guests which saves us a lot since we are expecting more than 100 guests :)

Entertainment and Tables and Chairs: Osboy's Party Needs

We found Osboy's located in Los Banos just by actual strolling and surveying. haha.. When we went home to San Pablo for our Christmas vacation, we decided to stroll along Los Banos and try to look for a party needs shop. The clowns were very entertaining and the guests really enjoyed them. We also ordered 20pcs of balloons on stick as giveaways and kids' and some adult's table and chairs since Plums has a few adult tables and chairs.

Balloon decors: DIY


Much as I want to have a professionally-done balloon decors, however our budget didn't permit. hahahh.. I initially planned to attend a balloon workshop but that didn't pursue also due to time constraints :) We were able to buy balloons in Divisoria when we shopped for loots and prices. We got 100pcs of balloons and was surprised na kulang pala yun for the decors... hehehe.. Hubby and I thought that that would suffice na. We were able to decorate the function area with the help of my relatives who volunteered to be on the venue early to helps us decorate. :)

Lootbags: Divisoria

To avoid the Christmas rush, we were able to shop at Divisoria last November for the lootbags and for some game prices.

Name Tags, Thank you stickers, Picturebook/Guestboook, Invitation: DIY
With a little bit of time, I was able to make a simple name tags and TY cards and just have it printed at home using a sticker paper. The guestbook, I was able to learn digiscrapping using scrapblog and have it printed at PrintAvenue. Guests were surprised when they knew that i was the one who made the guestbook.. heheheh... For the invites, our friend Gail was the one who did the lay out for us. I just researched through the internet for possible style and she was the one who personalized it.

Invitations and guetbook printing: PrintAvenue
I saw Printavenue while browsing in Multiply. Aljo was very accommodating during the design approval and in finishing the prints eventhough rush na.. hehehe.. I was happy with the print quality.



Wardrobe: Guess shop for Inigo's pants and polo; Our ever-reliable closet for Daddy and Mommy's attire :)

We didn't hire a professional videographer however, Tito JR and Tita Emma were kind enough to take videos of the party.

Lastly, we would like to extend our warmest thanks to all of our guests who attended the party kahit na malayo :) And for those who did not make it, it is well-ok :)

For more pictures, you may visit Inigo's friendster site: http://profiles.friendster.com/inigolanceusapdincosinas

Party is coming!

A week to go and all is set to the pool party we will have for Inigo.

Cake
Photography
Food
Venue
Giveaways
Entertainment
Decors
Music

We are trying to keep the party as simple and as relaxing as possible. Anyways, it's a pool party so most of the guests are looking forward for a lot of time in the pool :)

We're going to be 4!

So much blessings have come to our family and we can only thank God for that.

We are happy to announce that we are adding another angel to our happy and growing (as in fast growing) family! Inigo's little sister or brother will be coming out of my tummy in April 2009. I am thinking of giving birth on April 14th since it will be our 2nd year wedding anniversary. That sounds exciting for the birthday of our angel number 2!

Nothing compares with the excitement and thrill of knowing that there is another little soul inside of me.

More details about our pregnancy in the next posts!

Please pray for us as we patiently wait for the new addition to our family.

Fun Day!

We had a fun day visiting Gymboree in Serendra and trying out the Play Class. (We got it for free by just registering beforehand and visiting gymboree's website.) It was the first time that Inigo played with kids almost his age. Though I must say that I enjoyed pretty much than Inigo did. Haha!

The Class - Oliver, Sachi, Inigo, Jak-Jak, and Althea

Inigo was so tired after the class and easily fell asleep on our way to Market! Market! while us - adults, had a quick lunch at KFC.

We were not convinced to end the day with just having fun playing with Gymbo so we therefore headed to The Picture Company at Bonifacio High Streets to have our family portrait taken and Inigo's first formal photoshoot. I am so excited to see the print(s)! haha! Will post another entry when we have the photo prints from TPC.

More pictures of Inigo's first Gymbo experience. :D

What's happening....

We went to visit Lola Lydia and Tita-Ninang Lanie last weekend. Come Sunday, we were able to attend the wedding of daddy ian's cousin. 'twas a garden wedding, too bad it rained. This was Inigo's first trip to tagaytay.
The weekend before the latest weekend, we had the chance to go to Mall of Asia and visited The Picture Company. I had our membership activated and hopefully we will be able to set up a photoshoot. (Still convincing daddy ian to schedule the photoshoot since he doesn't know yet the printing cost.. haha!) I am wanting for us to have a family portrait that is professionally taken... teeeheee!

On Being A Parent

I am a member of an internet yahoogroup called NewlyWedsAtWork and I have been learning a lot from the members of the group in managing our home. I would like to pick up the topic that was posted by a n@wie-mate Jeng Agustin and she posted a question "Why do you want to have children?"

I am so amazed with how the group members were able to share their insights regarding the topic. Yes, being a parent is a choice and it is a lifetime responsibility and I would like to share my insights:

Being a parent is a choice and a privilege.

A choice.

When hubby and I got married, we know that we both want to have a child. And we are blessed that we had a honeymoon baby :D Inigo is 6 months now and nothing compares to the kind of fulfillment that me and hubby feels. Yes, there are endless of sacrifices that we have to do along the way and as long as we live. But the fact that we chose to have Inigo in our lives makes us realize that it's all worth it.

A privilege.

Every child is a gift from GOD. No matter how hard we pray and how a couple wants to have a child, if they are not blessed by GOD, it won't happen. I know a couple who tries and tries to have a child but until now they haven't been pregnant. And all it takes is patience and faith to the Lord. The couple that I know will have theirs in God's perfect time.

I want to quote a n@wie-mate Mylene when she said. "But you know what, you'll never know how much love your heart can hold, until someone calls you a Mommy or Daddy :-)" She's hit the bull's eye!

Another thing, you will have an additional special day (aside from your birthday) every year - Mother's Day or Father's Day! Teeheee!

CHILDREN completes the FAMILY.

Inigo's 4th month birthday

Mommy Led and Tita-Ninang Lanie were able to visit us in Makati last week taking advantage of the May 1 holiday. It was also Tita-Ninang Elaine's 25th birthday the day before.


We celebrated May 1 visiting Trinoma Mall. Had our miryenda-dinner at aVenetto Pizzeria.