Many Things to Celebrate!!!

In my life now, there are many reasons to celebrate and be thankful for. Last August 8, we hosted a 5 in one simple party in our Bedford home. This i dubbed as the First Party as i am very sure there will be lots of parties i will be hosting on this lovely home.




We had been thinking to baptize Baby Ali in the Philippines but the schedule was so tight by then with all the paperworks and other stuffs and we figured it out why not?Since Coco was baptized in Scotland and Cam in the Philippines why not Baby Ali be baptized in Canada? So, we did it, baptizing Baby Ali in the Bedford's St. Ignatius Catholic Church.



The Christening was officiated by Father Pat Cosgrove and attended by Godparents and our supportive family and friends. The community welcomed Baby Ali and together with his Baptism, we also renewed ours. His godparents are: Mr. and Mrs. Al Brown, Mr. and Mrs.Nathan Scott, Amanda Hillier, Naty Agdeppa, Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Craig, Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Donasco and Mr. Salvador Senarillos. May Baby Ali grow up to be a good boy, full of love and full of wisdom.




Now, another reason for celebrating is the blessing of our new home. In Canada, they call this a Housewarming. In my country, when we transfer to a new home, we invited a Priest and let him bless a new place and offer a prayer. We call this House Blessing. I did both --- we had housewarming and house blessing! I would like to thank Father Pat for coming to our place after the baptism and blessed the Father (and mother) of the house, blessed our home and our new van. I feel so blessed after that!



Now, another reason to celebrate is the birthday of my husband, Scotty and our middle child, Cam. Cam's birthday was actually July 28 but since we don't know anyone as playmates for Cam for now (we are only here for over 2 months), it is not practical to have a kids' party for him. So, we decided just celebrate his birthday on the same date as Baby Ali's christening. He did enjoy that day --- opening lots of presents and eating his birthday cake before the dessert time!!! For Scotty's birthday, it was August 10, but since it was very close to August 8 and since he don't want to do anything on his day, we celebrated his day on the 8th.




The last but not the least reason to celebrate is that: August 8 is always a special date for us. It is a date we had been engaged last 2002 in General Santos City, Philippines and wow it was 8 years ago!!! Two years ago, we had a second wedding in Canada dubbed as the 8-8-8 wedding. So, August 8 is a very special date and it is just worth celebrating!!!!

Before i end this post, i just would like to say thank you to all the people who made the party a success --- our chef extraordinaire, Winston; my sister Phoebe; my friends Coney, Ate Lourdes and Kuya Chris. Thanks to the Godparents, the Officiating priest, Father Pat Cosgrove and to my ever-supportive family and friends. Most importantly, thank you, Lord for letting me experienced a wonderful family life. There are just so many things to celebrate and You let me experienced it all!!!

Seeing Pat and John

It was 2002 when i first met Pat and John, a lovely couple who are like family to us. Pat is the cousin of Scotty's dad, Terry. Because of that connection, i always call them Uncle John and Aunt Pat.



Scotty had known Pat and John for ages. Scotty told me that they always come to the lake cottage and spend time with them on the summer. Now, as things changed, circumstances changed, not only Scott will see them whenever they are here in Nova Scotia, but also us...

2002, i first met them at Windsor, Ontario where they live. I was then pregnant with Prisco. We went back again to Windsor, Ontario (2004) when Coco was over a year old and saw them. And then two years ago(2008), with new baby in tow(Cameron), they were on the lake property in Annapolis valley and we visited them again.





Just recently, specifically, yesterday, before they will go to Prince Edward Island with Sharon,Meghan and Katelyn, we spent time with them and they were delighted to see the newest addition to the family, Baby Ali. It was good to see Peggy as well, Aunt Pat's sister.






This is the Aylesford lake in Annapolis Valley that we went yesterday where Pat and John and family were relaxing or reflecting or entertaining family and friends. I fully agree that this place is heavenly. Some lucky people could buy property near this lake, developed this property by making lake chalets or lake cottages. In this spot, there are woodlands that make you feel you are in the other part of the world as it is very quiet and very private. Aunt Pat's dad, the late Dr. Albert MacPhee, bought a property here, developed it and his offsprings had enjoyed it in many years. We enjoyed our stay here as well, no matter how short it maybe! It is always nice to meet genuine people...

I want to thank Pat and John for always a very welcoming couple in this world. They are people whom i feel the positivity in life despite the sorrowful things that are uncontrollable. They are people whom i admired and respected. They are people whom you always want to see even if you're tired, or busy, or hungry! God bless you, Uncle John and Aunt Pat. God bless your family!

Back for Good in Canada

After almost eight years of living overseas,after having four pregnancies, after delivering the newest baby boy,ALISTAIR SCOTT MACPHEE, after realizing how tough it is for Coco to keep on transferring schools,after getting tired of packing and unpacking those big boxes of stuffs,after thinking that CANADA is the best place in the world for us, for the kids especially, here we are moving back to my husband's country and finally getting settled.



We are here in this new home for two months now. We love it and we love the community. It is a very peaceful neighborhood. We are very close to almost everything--- the schools,the shops, the public library, the church, etc...My husband picked the best choice for us. I am not yet driving, so this place is perfect for me! The house is wonderful. It is not very close to the main street, so we are far from the cacophony of the city. In our backyard is like a mini-forest with lovely,big trees and colorful flowers that abound the area. Just a lovely,perfect family home.

Finally, we have a place we call ours --- to raise our kids, to run around, to make a mess, to cultivate, to clean and fix, to make anything a normal,stable family do. Finally, we have a place to call a HOME SWEET HOME.

Grandad's 80th Birthday!

This is Grandad Larry, 80 years old last April 15, this year. He is the grandfather of my husband Scotty and i considered him as grandad as well. Gramie Joyce, on his birthday party wrote lots of adjectives for him such as : Darling husband, Good neighbour, Sweet Uncle, Radical dad, Awesome great grandad, Good friend, Loving grandad, Terrific brother, and Bestest brother-in-law. Probably, i would add, the Blueberry guy, the survivor, and although he will not show it, an affectionate Grand-father-in-law.


The first plan was: made a big party for him in a hall, but he declined that idea. He is not really up to a big party. He just wanted to stay in the house and have a nice, simple, more personal lunch or dinner with family members . I cannot blame him for that, as he preferred a very low profile occasion and he is really not up to talking to lots of people on that day. He wanted a very relaxing birthday, not a
stresssful one! At 80,he survived lots of health problems even a cancer. So, he is really so lucky and well-blessed.
We know how special is the 80th Birthday for everyone, especially to Grandad Larry who we loved and adored, so our birthday gift for him is for us to be on his birthday. Hence, we flew from Scotland to Canada, most especially to be on his special 80th birthday. We know Grandad was very happy and we had a wonderful time. To you, Grandad Larry, many, many birthdays to come. Cheers to goodhealth, goodhealth and goodhealth!!!

For more photos on this day, please click http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=120141&id=734535184&l=69b8d31800

Let It Snow!

There are still lots of snow today and still more and more will come showcasing that real winter is here!!! It will gonna be a white Christmas, i presupposed. Yesterday morning as i woke up, i opened our glass window and voila! there were lots of snow. It actually started few days ago. With that first accumulation of snow, my boys were excited, especially Prisco and Baby Cam. This is Cameron's first snow, so i knew for sure that he is really so amazed and excited of this new change of season.



With the first gush of snow, we went to Banchory and explore the woodlands. We reached the place called Scolty Woodland Park where many acres of trees were all covered with the silvery, white snow. We had snow fight and Prisco was the champion on this! I love running around exploiting the thick snow layers and let my footprints embedded on them. I felt like conquering their own little world! It was fun! Yes, it is always cold but fun. So, wearing layers is a must!

Scott and Prily's Octoberfest!

There are two major occasions last October that we had celebrated --- my birthday and our wedding anniversary. So, i invited my close neighbors and good friends here in Scotland to join us with our simple feast and "get together". My good friends, Mario and Sally helped me with the cooking. They are good nurses but equally good cooks. So, we feast on Filipino dishes such as Pancit Canton(Noodles), Afritada, Caldereta, Chicken Curry, Vegetable Lumpia(Springrolls), Beef steak, Fried Rice, Biko, Seafoods --- succulent big prawns and escabeche (sweet and sour fish), arroz valenciana, paella, chopsuey, maja blanca and pininyahang manok(chicken with pineapple). The party started at 6 pm until almost 2 in the morning. We had lots of fun. We had videoke and lots of dancing, and of course, lots and lots of eating. We are lucky to have a big lounge area to accommodate lots of guests.

Here are some of my beautiful friends who stayed until the wee hours of the morning: Cheryl, Joy, Sally, Mario, Tenny, Shiela, Mark, Jane and her daughter Isabel. Thanks for those who joined us until almost 12 midnight: the loving couples Ruchelle and James and Auntie and Uncle Derek. To my neighbors who got kids and stayed until 11 pm, thanks so much for coming. I am so pleased they loved the Asian/Filipino cuisine.


Here is our Anniversary cake. Prisco blew it for us while Cameron is busy playing with the other kids... What a party!!!! Not only that the grown-ups had lots of fun but also the kids as well.


Before i end this entry, i want to give special thanks to my husband who made this party possible and i want to thank him for doing dishes after the party is over!!!! My everdearest, you rock!!!!

In Laws are Coming!!!

My mother -in- law and step father-in-law will be coming to see us in Scotland. They will arrive this coming Friday from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. We can't wait to see them! Please excuse me if i will not be very prompt in visiting your blog sites as i am doing lots of stuff in order for my inlaws to have a good, comfortable accomodation. My inlaws are missing us a lot plus they got to spoil their grand kids,too once in a while. I would be so delighted to see them and spend time with them. They will be our first overseas guests in our place. They will be here for over three weeks (until July 6) afterwhich we will be flying together in Canada for an exciting summer holiday. Oh well, i am counting the days...
For the meantime, enjoy your weekend, everyone!!!As for me, as usual i will have to do lots of tidying up!

Baby Cam at 10 Months Old

Baby Cam is 10 months old today and he weighs probably 10 kilos. At 10 months, he is an official crawler, an official grabber of things, an official eater of solid foods, and he can stand with the use of support. He can mumble little bit, but that's just it. He can giggle really loud and will give you the smile that you really need at the end of a tiring day.

Babies are different with each other. I will not rush my little baby to grow up that fast! I will not rush him to read or write! I heard some gifted babies who can read or write at a very early age,but oh, dear, aren't they babies???? Good for them! Do we have to let them grow up soooo fast? As for myself, i want my kids to have really normal childhood. I cannot imagine my kids singing and having a concert at 9 or 10 years old like Michael Jackson, or acting job at 2 or 3 years old. I love my kids to be kids --- to make mess, to play around, to throw things, etc... etc...

Here is my 10 month old baby... He is just doing some hopping around, standing around, and flexing around! Better took picture of his baby-gro... It will be the last day today he will wear it. He's really grown up most of his baby clothes! It is amazing how they grow up sooo fast! Before i know it, they'll be taller than me... But before that happens, i'll gonna spoil them to bits first and give them all my loving, hugs and kisses!

HAPPY 10 MONTHS OLD, BABY CAMERON JOHN!

Boys' Group Hug

I really love this photo of my three very precious boys hugging each other. Aren't they so sweet??? Guess what is baby Cam's most favorite toy? It is obvious: his dad's eyeglasses. He always take a hold of that one whenever he is near his dad. My two boys are missing their dad for so many days now. But we got to talk to him on the phone everyday and Prisco is always reporting to him what we are doing each day. Also, i am reporting to his dad his naughtiness. Yup, he can be very naughty and sometimes it is driving me nuts. But no matter how naughty he is, he is always my precious, precious, sweet prince. These three boys always determine my mood. i love them so much!

We Don't Wanna Miss The Crawfish Carnival

My husband was away again. He went around 5 this morning (sigh). Oh, well, what can we do? We need means to live and if that would mean few weeks that he's away, that is okay. I had been so used to his offshore jobs. If you had seen Ben Affleck on the movie Armageddon, the job is seem like it, but right now he is more like Bruce Willis as he had been training new engineers for sometime now( although his face is more that of Ben Affleck!hehehehehe! Ah, how i wish i can be as tall and pretty as Liv Tyler! But since i can't be, definitely it's okay and had accepted that this is me).

Oh,well, speaking about Armageddon and the beautiful soundtrack by Aerosmith on that blockbuster movie, whenever my husband is onshore, we need to see to it that we don't miss great, quality, family time together. Hence, last Mom's Day, together with the Castle Walk, was another surprise --- A Castle Extravaganza or more particularly, The Crawfish Carnival that is just right within the grounds of the Castle itself. This Carnival is exclusive for my husband's company employees and their families. There were just many things to do and see and Prisco had so much fun. Some of the oldtime favorites for everyone to enjoy were Archery, Quads, Bucking Bronco, Climbing Wall, Paintball and Trampolines plus new activities; Golf Simulator, Adrenaline Maze and craft making in a traditional Native American Tipi. There was also "Show Time" in which a professional drama group worked with the children. There were lots of singing, dancing and acting. We were just content watching them! Prisco was more interested with slides and trampolines. He must had went a hundred times! And what about the food? Oh, it was too much and just all buffet style. I better make an exclusive entry of the food.

For the meantime,here are some of the fun photos....

Sneaky Surprise

We are having our breakfast, me and my buddies -- Prisco and Cameron(Baby Cam is feeling so much better)when suddenly, out of nowhere a figure came out --- my HUSBAND!!!!! Right in the middle of our kitchen door!!!! He is so sneaky i hadn't even hear any sound at all!!!!!! What a lovely suprise and the best gift for Mother's Day.

My husband loves to suprise me and he loves the surprise expressions on my face. He's a very spontaneous person, just like me and the fact is : we just don't realize when that spontaneity will occur. Ah, he is just sooo sneaky. Who would ever expect??? He had been offshore for over a week and that chopper schedule is just not guaranteed, plus, there are lots of priority passengers before him...Ah, i don't know what he did just to come back home just perfectly....

He is not usually with me on Mother's Day. His presence on this year's Mother's Day is a great gift. The past years that he was not with me, he'll do many suprising acts, like this one.... There'll be knock on our door and when i opened there'll be entourage of flowers....I can only cry and i will asked the guy who'll deliver, "Are you sure these flowers are for me???? And yes,it was for me as i will sign the delivery receipt and it was my name writen on it!...Or, if we are together on some Mother's Day, he'll ask me, "when do you usually go when i am not around"? On that time, he heared from my sister that i usually go to this jewelry shop. So, i said, i do some window shopping on this shop. And then, he'll say, "okay, show me!" So, off we went and then he'll do chichat to some salesgirls and then, one salegirl will say to him, "yes, sir, she told me she likes this one!" And then, he'll say, "i'll get this for her!!!!"....Then, here i am saying, "oh,no dear, we don't need this one... i just love the design, etc..etc.... Anyway, he'll get it for me! All i can do is give him a very big hug and he don't want that i'll say thank you....He wants me to say "I love you!".... That's my husband!

But this Mother's Day, he'll have a great family surprise to us.... He said i can have a goodnight sleep as he'll be the one taking care of the baby...Uhmmm, that's more than enough...But he said, we'll gotta get ready soon as we are going to see a Castle....

That's where we are heading for this Mother's Day....and anyway, here's the sweetness photo again before the castle extravaganza...

May Malady for my Baby

We know that one of mom's maladies is when our kids got sick. We even hope it's us that are sick and not them...

I got panicked last Friday when i found out that Baby Cam got some red rashes all over his body. I knew he got fever but rashes? This is not right! I noticed these little rashes last Thursday but not a lot. Now, it's very visible even on his faces and on his head!

So i immediately phoned the medical center and they said they'll call me back. What a fantastic quality service they have here in Scotland with regards to many things especially health care. I went down to the kitchen to have a little bite when suddenly the phone rang, it's the doctor. He asked me about Baby Cam and everything. Oh well, i told him the same story that i went to the clinic the other day and baby got fever and now he got red rashes, blah blah blah...! Anyway, the doctor told me my baby got viral infection, a kind that is very common for the kids under 2 years old. So, i asked him if i can go to the medical center right away and if he can take a look on it. He said i can get an appointment around 11:30 am . I called around 9:00 am). I asked him if there is a need for me to bring my baby to the hospital? He said nope. I asked him if he encountered lots of cases like this? He said yes,many times.

So, i calmed down and got something to eat. My poor little fella was crying on the phone while i am talking to the doctor. No matter if it's only a fever, colds, cough, we,moms, normally got worried. We just don't know why our babies have those. And rashes? Oh well, i am pretty sure i am very up to date with regards to my sons' vaccination. I am still thinking where did he get this virus? Since this is airborne, i am just thinking if from the plane?from school? from the shops ... Ah, it doesn't matter...It is very hard to traced and nothing i can do about it!

But anyway, we got the appoinment doctor told me the same thing what we talked on the phone. This viral infection is very common. First there is fever and colds and then after few days rashes will come out. But he assured me, rashes will be gone gradually...I will just have to give my baby, lots of fluids and???Again, babies' bestfriends --- Calpol or paracetamol infant drops!

Lastnight, oh, thank God, Baby Cam's fever diminished. Doctor is right! Rashes are not so visible...and he slept pretty good compensating his lack of sleep and discomforts for the past nights.

Getting sick is a tough business for little fellas. When i see children that are not well, i always feel sad because wouldn't it be nice just to see their happy faces??? But the reality is, they, too got to have lots of health issues to be coped up. Different kids, just like any individual had various coping mechanisms and we,moms are the same. Think of my situation here : i just arrived in a community that i hardly know anyone (okay i know some but they live like 30 minutes drive away and that these people are also busy and it is my attitude not to disturb the privacy of people, except if there is really a need to!), baby got sick, husband is away, my family is away, i am struggling with 2 boys... It is tough, i know, but thank God, i handled it unbelievably well. Being worried is normal, but at the end of the day, worries never help and most of the things we worry are not even within our control. So, well, i gotta stay as cool as i am. I am just thankful now, my baby is sleeping soooo well...I hope he will be completely fine tomorrow... I can only hope and pray.

Toughness of Teething

For the past days my baby had been having fever and little of diarrhea. I had been panicky but there's no use to it. I went to the doctor two days ago and doc told me that i will just keep giving Baby Cam the legendary Calpol. Oh well, he said everything is fine. Since, Baby cam got colds , fever will likely occur as well. The past nights had just been tough. If the baby got no sleep, so is the mom. Baby Cam is really feeling the discomforts of teething. I know that the feeling of pain in teething usually comes and goes but really this time his pain is tremendous. All i can do is the thought that this pain will soon be done...
Right now he is having a nap but i also know that soon he'll wake up and cry again. He's also being fussy now and refuse food. Oh,dear,dear, i hope his teeth malady will soon be over. Oh, well, my baby, be strong... Ah, i am still worried actually. This teething business is not easy!!!

A Day in the Strathburn Park

The weather here is really getting nicer and my Scottish friend even sent me an email saying..."you must have been bringing the sunshine with you!"... i was laughing because i know that it is just timely that we arrived in a better season of the year and i know also that weather is so unpredictable. So, while the iron is hot... i mean while the weather is warm, we have to visit some parks and be kids again...
Before my husband went offshore, we went to Strathburn Park in Inverurie. Our boys were delighted as you can see with our photos. Not only our kids but us as well. Look at how we become kids again with our kids!
Welcome to the Strathburn Park --- free for everyone--- to all the young ones and the young once!


Our first family photo since we arrived here! (Ah,it is very difficult to ask somebody sometimes, but this time, thanks to the dad who took our pic!).


My boys had fun on this tanker...


Prisco and Scott on the seesaw...


Look at the monkey in here...Hehehehehe!


That's all folks! Tata for now!

Niagara Region Chopper Ride

I remember this chopper ride we had when Prisco was three years old in Canada. We hired this chopper and took a ride along the Niagara Region down to the border of New York. That was so nice and so damn unforgettable!!!!

Our Home, Our Neighborhood : Scotland

Okay, here are our photos taken few days after our arrival, during our walk to my son's school. This is the place where we live now. It is actually very peaceful and we are here for over two weeks already and i don't know anyone from this neighborhood! hehehehehe! I am so sure people here are always busy working around. In a country like this, people just value privacy. I am pretty sure people are friendly but they just have their own life, as much as we have our own. Anyway, my boys are my constant buddies here. Take a look...

This is our house. It is two-storey and it has three bedrooms(one master's bedroom and two other not-so-big-ones,yet, comfortable enough. One family room, one living room, one kitchen , one dainty dining room which i really love, a narrow hallway, a laundry room which i really adore, 3 toilets and baths and spacious backyard that my kids could play during summmer. Ah, i almost forget, our computer room. hahaha! Oh well, you can't see the photos of what's inside our house yet. hehehehe. First, the structure itself...


And here's our quiet, peaceful neighborhood.... As i said, i hadn't known anyone yet for almost three weeks that i am here!


My two wonderful boys and our community....


My poser Prisco...


And this is me photographed by Prisco. Ah, it's amazing what kids can do this time. Hehehehe.....


They say, "HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS" and i am feeling inlove with my home here in Scotland. My heart is really with my family. House is just a structure really and home? It is sweeter word for a house!