Halloween: Sneak Peek!

Jacinta will wear one of Joaquin's Halloween costumes from last year. She will be the little devil.


For fun, here is Joaquin when he wore it last year!
Joaquin will wear his duck/chick costume from last year. It fits better this year. But, this year, he is able to take off the head piece. Rather, he dislikes having anything put on his head.



Joaquin wearing the costume last year!
Having the TV on helped us take these photos of Joaquin wearing the head piece of the costume.

We pray and hope for good, warm weather this Halloween!

Jqn: 21 months, 8 days old!

Joaquin has been saying "ot" when we tell him that something is hot. At the dinner table, he is sometimes patient with us when we tell him that we have to wait a little while because the food is hot. And, he immediately says "ot". Ot. Ot. And, more recently, he blows on the food or around the area of the food. But, the way that he has learned to blow is like when you ask someone to check if your breath is ok or if you blow hot air onto a mirror to fog it up. haaaah... ot... haah ot ot.

Today, Georgie opened one of Joaquin's 1st birthday presents. We haven't opened all of them yet since this past January. The toy is an inclined race track with three cars. While playing, Jqn decided to pick up all three of them and carry them on his chest. It was so adorable to see him hold them as though someone might take them away from him.

Joaquin's word for "TV" is "GG". Last time, I said that when we get home he would point at the tv for us to turn it on. Now, Joaquin points and says "GG". I try to enunciate the letters T and V, but GG is what keeps coming out of Joaquin's mouth. No matter. We understand each other.

WHAT? Another of his favorite words to say. My mom gets a kick out of it. Georgie and I need to stop saying "what" and say "pardon", instead, when we need the other to repeat what was said or asked. I would not want Joaquin or Jacinta to respond with What? when we ask them to do something or to repeat what they say.

Joaquin blows kisses. Mwah. Mwah. He blows kisses with both hands like an opera singer showing his gratitude towards the audience's applause. I love blowing kisses to him when we say goodnight.

Last night, for the first time, we saw Joaquin pick-up a bath toy for Jacinta while she was sitting in the Bumbo. What a sweetie you are, Joaquin.

I look forward to Joaquin and Jacinta playing with each other. Running around. Fighting. Laughing. Hugging. Loving.

Pumpkin Patch!

For the first time ever, we took Joaquin and Jacinta to a pumpkin patch this past weekend. It was probably one of the last -- if not the last warm weekend we will have this year. We went with Steve, Paola and Toah. I will always remember how beautiful and perfect that afternoon was.

We all went camera-happy. Georgie said we took around 250! photos that afternoon. Here are some of my favorite ones from the bunch.

When we first arrived, Jqn wasn't too happy about having to pose.
Jacinta, on the other hand, didn't mind at all.
Paola was so careful putting Jacinta on one of the pumpkins.
Toah, ball! That worked the first 4-6 times when we tried to get Toah's attention.
Priceless.
"Mama, this one?"


The sun was so bright.


Jacinta's first pair of shoes.
Georgie fixing Jacinta's hair.

Jqn enjoyed walking Toah with his Tia Paola.
Speaking of Joaquin... I haven't done his monthly birthday post. I'll have to do that soon.

"I Have Marshalled My Clan"

"Marshalled my clan" is a snippet of a Thomas Campbell poem...that made me think about my Dad and brother the weekend they visited us...

Time spent for the very most important things...

Two weekends before last, 'twas nice. My Dad popped over for a surprise visit. He was bearing gifts from his family for Jcnt. It was nice to see him. He hasn't seen Jcnt
since July and she's probably grown so much from his perspective. From time to time, I refer to our children as timepieces: an hourglass-- as they certainly remind me of the passage of time as well as alarm clocks...anyone who's ever lived with a new baby can certainly attest.

Here's Jcnt with my dad. She's such a calm baby.

We tried to have Jqn take a pic with Grandpa. Since it was approaching nap time, Jqn was not very cooperative.

After nap time, we put an exclamation point on the end the summer by visiting Margies satellite location...Here's me and Jcnt.

Yaya! for Jqn's first banana split and what a big treat it was...along with a monster slice of pumpkin pie and a vanilla milk shake...My eyes were hungrier than my stomach.

Making progress..and poor Jcnt...sorry sweetie, no banana split for you yet...but we'll be back soon for sure.

We met up with my brother after ice cream and hung out in Andersonville.

Fully charged! Jqn demonstrating his flexibility.

Urban babies Wear Black or is it Shades? Shout out to Lisa!

Jcnt posing with a cute smile and Jqn explaining to everyone one of his theories.
If you've been around Jqn lately, it's been a lot of "I know..."

Jqn's explanations (and the peaceful stroll) put Jcnt to sleep...

Mom loves Jcnt's tiny feet...and who wouldn't?

Here Uncle and Nephew get a good laugh as we wait for a seat for dinner.


and here's Jqn "hanging" out...

The weather has been fantastic and we're enjoying it. Thanks to the Clan for sharing it with us.

"This is all the heaven we got in our Shangri La" A little something I've been listening to...lately.

Eye see you!

Georgie has a blog in the works... Until he finally sits down and finishes it, here are a few pics of Jacinta. Click on the pic to view the full picture.





Hurry up and finish writing, Georgie!

Jcnt: 4 months, 1 day old!

Jacinta has a little bald spot around the crown area of the back of her head. I wonder if she will lose her hair within the next couple of months? I think Jqn lost his newborn hair around this time.

Taken last night as we ate at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants.
I've been pretty lazy lately during her night feedings. We've been putting Jacinta back in the bed with us if she wakes up between 1am-5am. Usually, when Georgie puts her in bed, she falls back asleep without having to nurse. I think it's probably the size 3 diapers that we've been putting on her for the night.

She hardly fits in the pink rectangular plastic bin that we got from the hospital. That is where I bathe Jacinta in the kitchen sink. I think I might be extending the kitchen sink baths a little longer than I should because it's much easier than bending down in the bathroom tub.

Jacinta sits in the bumbo for a few minutes at a time, usually when we're having dinner. Sometimes she'll stay in her bouncy seat. But, she prefers being around the dining room table with us while we eat. I'll either nurse her while eating or Georgie or I will have her sit on our laps.

She's been swatting at the toys on the Tiny Love play mat. Our little boxer. Although, Georgie has said that she is our little wrestler. We even saw her turn on her side to check herself out on the mirror that comes with the mat.

Jacinta's Christening

On 16 September 2007, Jacinta Luxi was Christened. It was a beautiful, warm and sun-shiny day. We are so Blessed once again. We were able to share this special event in our daughter's life with our family and friends.

A few thoughts from that day...

One of the parish priests telling us that we "must attend mass if you're here for the Baptism." This made me anxious because I didn't think I had to invite our guests to attend mass before the Baptism. But, it was made clear later on -- and I remembered it was the same for Jqn's Baptism -- that attending mass was optional.

Jacinta crying before the Baptism started. I had to nurse her.

Jacinta wore a dress that her Godmother, Trisa, gave her. Over the dress, Jacinta wore the same Baptism gown that Joaquin wore when he was Christened. The gown was given by my mom and dad.

A photo of everyone who attended the Baptism was taken. I posted one below. I have another one that my brother, Tristan, took. It's really cool!

The priest who baptized Jacinta is the same parish priest from the church that Georgie's family use to attend.

Jacinta was calm and very awake during the Baptism.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the food at the reception. Success!

Joaquin running around the restaurant with his cousins.

Jacinta changed into the dress that her Grandma Fabi and Grandpa Gonzalo gave at the reception. An hour or so later, she changed again into an outfit that Tita Vangie gave. Poor Jacinta was hot.

Jacinta received many gifts. Everyone was very generous and thoughtful.

The pictures in this post were taken by Noel. Thank you so much, Noel! The pictures you take are amazing.

If you want to see the rest of the pictures, or if you would like to see the larger versions of the ones posted here, please email me and I'll send you the link.

Nathan and Joaquin.
With Jacinta's Godparents, Steve and Trisa.

Cool Globes

We walked around Museum Park a couple of weekends ago to see the Cool Globes exhibit. We invited Steve and Paola to accompany us. Before heading there, we had lunch at one of our favorite Cuban restaurants by our neighborhood. So, it was a good thing that a big part of seeing the Cool Globes exhibit is walking around to see them. We were stuffed!

There was a hill right in front of the museum. Joaquin is not used to doing any kind of walking on an incline. We all took turns walking him up the hill. One of my companions suggested that we let Jqn roll down the hill -- I won't name names!


Jqn loves coffee.
Not to be outdone by her brother's stunt skills...
Steve did the hard job of keeping Jacinta levitated.
Ok, so it was a choice of a few. I chose the one with me not squinting or having my hair in my face or my face doing something unattractive. I'm entitled to a rare good photo once in a while. Besides, Jqn takes and has taken uber fabulous photos.

Plus, I like the lake in the background.
Jcnt with Steve and Paola.
Paola took such good care of Jacinta. She walked with her and kept her warm in her arms. Jacinta even fell asleep for a few minutes.

It was nice to be able to take photos without having to worry about who gets to push the stroller. Who gets to watch Jqn while he walks around pushing the stroller. Who gets to carry Jacinta while the other carries Jqn and pushes the stroller.

I got to do none of the above. Instead, I took this photo...
... And a few of the globes.
We went to Steve and Paola's house afterwards and had dinner there. This time, it was Thai food. We had to wait a few extra minutes on top of the specified delivery time because of a mix-up in the name of their street. But, it was worth it. My Pad See Ew was good. Tio Marco's Thai fried rice was even better.

Tio Marco with Jacinta.
Nai na.

I know!!

Me: Jqn, you know your snack table is becoming scarce on the snack aspect?

Jqn: I know!

I know!

I'm in the bedroom getting out of my work clothes when Joaquin entered the room. He found Georgie's reading light on the nightstand. Jqn picked it up and grunted towards me as he lifted it up. This is his way of asking me to turn on the light.

I turned on the light and Jqn's face quickly lit up. He then took off the cover that protected the light bulb. I continued to put my clothes away. As I turned around to check on Jqn, and as Georgie walked into the bedroom, I noticed that he successfully put the light bulb cover back on the reading light. I immediately relay this exciting development to Georgie.

We both are very impressed and proceeded to congratulate Joaquin with, "Awesome, Jqn! Good job! Yay!" Joaquin promptly blurted out, "I know!"

[When we picked up the kids at our baby sitter's house today, she mentioned that Jqn had been saying "I know" for most of the day.]

Another cool thing that happened tonight. Georgie brought Jqn into our bedroom to say good night to me and Jacinta. This time, instead of saying "night night" out loud, Georgie said "night night" softly.

Imagine our surprise when Jqn copied his daddy and whispered "nai na". To enforce this, Georgie applauded Jqn for speaking softly while Jacinta was asleep. He whispered "nai na" a couple more times.

Even if Jqn doesn't yet understand the effects of his actions, this one was definitely something to write about.

Kristin & Dan's Baby Shower | Tristan's other bday party

Last Saturday, we attended Dan and Kristin's baby shower. They're having a boy! We are so excited for you guys!

I bought this t-shirt for Jqn. It says, "I love Mommy".
One of the games at the shower involved the men having to drink beer using a sippy cup. It took a long while for a winner to emerge. We wondered if the men were gassy afterwards.

Chug, chug, chug. I see Chris!
It was nice to see our old friends from college. Christopher and Nina have not changed at all. And, they now have a beautiful baby boy named, Logan. Logan and Jacinta are around the same age. I hoped to get a picture of them together, but that snapshot will have to wait for the next time we see Chris, Nina and Logan.

Nina and Logan
The lovely, expecting couple, Kristin and Dan.
Afterwards, we went to my mom and dad's house to celebrate my brother, Tristan's, birthday again. I love week-long -- sometimes month-long -- birthday celebrations.

The cousins: Jqn, PJ, Christian, Tyron, JJ and Erin.
There was a lot of food, per usual. I think our family does this on purpose so that we can have baon. The word baon in Tagalog means something to take with you, as in food in this case. Georgie always comments that my family cooks for an army.

Jqn on the phone. Again. With whom?
My brother, the grill master, was in charge of grilling all the meat again. And, on his birthday celebration. With a sprained knee. Ouch. Manong, you're a trooper. All the grilled food was yummy. Thank you for grilling on your birthday party!

What were Joaquin and Christian looking at??
Noel gave us a few prints that he took on Tita Lily and Tito Eddie's surprise luau party. They are really nice pictures. I will have to post a few here on the blog.

Oh, goodness. I'm so behind. I have yet to post pictures from Jacinta's Christening. And, many more...

Time does not exist, but it sure does keep ticking.

I'll sign off for the evening with this pic of my lovely children.