Random Scribble

6/26/2008

Academic Excellence

Filed under: — Judy @ 4:21 pm

I still can’t believe that another schoolyear is over. My daughter finished Grade 3 and received the Award for Academic Excellence in front of the entire student body, staff and parents at the final school assembly. I am so incredibly proud of her.

The school supply list for Grade 4 came home along with the final report card. My daughter is now in the Junior Division. It seems like just yesterday we were settling back into the Toronto area and registering her for SK.

The last day of Grade 3 was really just a day to say goodbye to the teachers and friends. Jess and her best friend had lunch and a playdate to kick off the summer.

I love you my boo! Congratulations on your Grade 3 achievements! Keep striving for excellence!

6/13/2008

Blogging in Point Form

Filed under: — Judy @ 11:24 pm

My post on our Bali trip is lost somewhere in the black abyss otherwise known as “Drafts". But it was an amazing trip!

Summer vacation is less than two weeks away.

I’m looking forward to another busy summer. I’ve been dying to landscape the front of our house, but haven’t gotten around to it. I’m certainly not the green thumb in this family, but I’ll get to it. Of course, there’ll be VBS again this summer and then after that my daughter is off to Golf Camp for a week. She wants to be able to play with the big boys! We’re hoping that a trip to Northern and Southern CA is in the cards this summer too.

Our little guy will be 2-years old next month! Where has the time gone! He’s an endless bundle of energy with a rapidly growing vocabulary - iced tea, Poopoo juice (long story on that one), “nandy” for candy, “woo-woo” for dog. As far as he’s concerned, rabbits say “hoppity-hoppity". He’s definitely inherited his Auntie Cindy’s obsessive-compulsive cleanliness. Ha! He hates when his hands are sticky or when his blanket is not completely smooth on the floor. He has to have a papertowel beside his plate at every meal (if there’s isn’t , he’ll totally call me on it). Oh man!

I’m going to be an Aunt again soon to another precious little girl! I’m so excited!

I’m a techie-in-training.

Blackberries and honey-coated pecans are awesome in a spring mix salad.

I need to do some serious damage in the Shoe Dept. at Bloomingdales.

I miss the CA family.

I’m going to bed. Good night!

4/13/2008

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Filed under: — Judy @ 2:09 pm

Dearest Mia,

Happy 2nd Birthday, my beautiful Ming! Wow, you’re growing up so incredibly fast! You are such a shining star in my life! I love my role as an aunt because you make it so much fun!

I love everything about you, but there are some special little things about you that I find particularly endearing! I love how inquisitive you are; pulling items out of my luggage and asking “What’s this?” as I scramble to do last minute packing to catch a flight. I love how smart you are; your vocabulary is bigger than your body -soy sauce, “Hi Dustin!", “Jessss, Jessss!", “Please, lollypop!". I love how excited you get when I come to visit. And I really don’t mind that you steal my bag of Pirate’s Booty… and then don’t want to share!

I hope you know how special you are to everyone around you! You are wished a million blessings today…and everyday! Even though I can’t be right there today to splash around in your kiddie pool and jump on your bouncer with you, I am celebrating you in my heart and in my thoughts! But save me a piece of Red Ribbon Hello Kitty mango cake, will ya!

I hope you’ll always find the simple joys in bubbles and pink envelopes! Happy, Happy Birthday, Butterfly! I love you!

Hugs & Kisses,
Auntie Judy

4/3/2008

Four Eyes Are Better Than Two

Filed under: — Judy @ 4:40 pm

My daughter did not inherit her Dad’s 20/20 vision. A recent trip to the optometrist showed that she is near-sighted and has astigmatism, just like her Mom. Thanks to the Dario genes, my girl has been sporting her brand new black and purple funky frames for almost 2 weeks, but 3 if you count the week her backpack wore them more than she did.

Her teacher at school pulled out a great positive-reinforcement trick out of her arsenal when she saw Jessica sheepishly pulling out her new specs for the first time in class. She asked Jessica to come to the front of the class and asked her to share her new glasses with everyone. She put them on and this awesome teacher gushed at how cool they looked and the class beamed their approval.

After school, as Jessica and her friends spilled out into the schoolyard, the girls were begging their waiting Mom’s to buy them glasses “just like Jessica’s"! The coolness factor zoomed way up and I didn’t have to remind my little girl to wear her glasses after that day! And after an email from her favourite San Franciscan, “Emaneen", who told her that “only cool girls have near-sightedness and astigmatism", she was thoroughly convinced.

Now my four-eyed daughter is hoping to get the same frames in the eggplant/green or pink! You know, cause a girl’s glasses gotta match the outfit!

4/2/2008

Reinventing the Wheel

Filed under: — Judy @ 9:32 pm

Lately, I’ve been feeling fatigued and uninspired. Chalk it up to a seemingly endless winter, a general lack of sunshine and zero cardio. Granted, I got healthy doses of Vitamin D during our holiday vacation in California and short get-away to Bali…and the weather is beginning to slowly warm up finally! But still…

The harsh reality is that I’m quickly approaching another milestone birthday. My darling son will be 2-years old in July and well, I’m just tired of looking like I just had him. Ugh! I must get back into my pre-pregnancy Sevens…soon, very soon!

After a long hiatus from Pilates classes and any other form of *regular* exercise, I’m back with a mission in Advanced Pilates. I’m happy to say that I hung in with the Lululemon-clad girls and worked my core so hard in Monday’s class that I’m still sore today. Thank goodness I learned how to get through the Abs 100 move long ago, but I realize I have a lot of work to do to get things back to where they once were. Ha!

2/29/2008

Happy 9th Birthday!

Filed under: — Judy @ 11:45 pm

My little girl is 9!

Uh-oh, that’s just one year away from being catapulted into a double-digit age bracket and tween category.

No elaborate birthday party this year, just a quiet, family dinner. With the way our schedules have been looking lately a birthday party would have been way out in May.

In a pre-birthday girly night, Jessica and I went to see the hotseller Hannah Montana Concert Movie 3D. Being a highly-publicized limited engagement movie event of the year, it was next to impossible to get prime tickets and had to settle for late show tickets on a school night. It was a sold-out showing of a bunch of screaming pre-teens. Admittedly, Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus is quite the performer and actually fun to watch. Justin was diggin’ the 3D glasses he found lying around the next morning.

Justin and I visited Jessica’s classroom on the morning of her birthday with bags full of sugary treats for everyone. Jessica didn’t seem to mind that Justin stole her thunder for the first 15 minutes while her classmates made a fuss over “little brother". Wow, Grade 3 girls notice every little detail and couldn’t stop marveling at Justin’s little boots. The teacher asked Jessica to introduce her brother to the class and she was very proud to have the opportunity.

After school, our little family had a nice dinner at Richtree and finished off with a delicious strawberry-chocolate crepe. Yum!

After a very thorough search of every Nintendo retailer throughout most of the GTA, several American cities and one desperate Facebook plea, our little gadget girl was lucky enough to get Wii a few weeks before her birthday. Thanks to one relentless Dad who sprinted from a meeting, with Blackberry in ear with the sales staff of a local Gamestop in downtown San Francisco, requesting them to hold onto the last unit for 2 minutes!

Now several weeks post-birthday, Miss Gadget Monster is about to unwrap a brand new Nintendo DS Lite (in pink of course). It’s not a surprise so I can blog about it. She’s been on the phone with her Aunt almost daily for the past several weeks (and now the goods are safely nestled in my carry-on luggage). So since apparently she’s taking phone orders, maybe I can put in one for a MacBook Air. :)

2/1/2008

Happy New Year!

Filed under: — Judy @ 11:32 am

Now that February seems to have crept up on me…Happy New Year everyone! And by everyone I mean my sister…and maybe my husband, because they might still read my blog from time to time. Apparently, I don’t even read, or update my own blog anymore.

On yet another back-blogging note, the holidays were awesome! It was nice to spend Christmas and New Year’s with my sister, brother-in-law, niece and the entire Cardona clan. The last time we spent Christmas all together was 7 years ago. It was a huge relief to escape the snow (although barely, many flights were cancelled due to inclement weather shortly after ours departed).

To sum up an awesome 2 1/2 week vacation:

Couples Night Out to celebrate Cindy, Sherrie, Eva’s birthday and Joyce and Eric’s 5th wedding anniversary with pre-show dinner at Off Vine and Wicked at Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CA

Quality time with my niece, a super-adorable, super-scrumptious, smart-as-a-whip toddler!

Shopping and a mad scramble for last minute Christmas gifts and gift-wrapping marathons

Dinner at the home of the Dela Roca’s (whoa - the old school CRX is still alive and that’s one hardcore Thomas collection)

Christmas Church Service at La Sierra University Church and lunch with the Cardona and Bunoan family

Inland Pacific Ballet The Nutcracker with after-show cast autograph signing at Bridges Auditorium with Jessica, my sister and Mom

Pre-Christmas Party at Joyce & Eric’s home (great food & drinks, crazy karaoke, good laughs and awesome company)

Christmas Eve Party at the home of the Bunoan’s (more great food, crazy karaoke, good laughs and awesome company)

Christmas Day Party at the home of the Digdigan’s (more great food, a round of Guesstures, good laughs with the Cardona cousins)

Golf Days for the guys (3 rounds of 18-hole to be exact) :)

Spa Afternoon with my sister at Spa Balinesia (ahhhh!)

More shopping

Cardona Girl Cousin Dinner at Melting Pot (do you fondue?)

Road trip to Vegas for New Year’s

Explored The Strip - Bellagio, MGM Grand, Circus Circus and Wynn (Wynn is spectacular and it has an in-house Louis Vuitton, yum!)

Gluttony at Bellagio Buffet

Happy New Year!

New Year’s Day Salo Salo take-out with Uncle Rick and Auntie Norma, post-Christmas deal hunting at Target Greatland :)

Late evening roadtrip back to SoCal (post-holiday traffic stress on 15 Freeway averted)

Packing and hanging out before catching our flight home. The day was gorgeous enough for the kids to go “swimming” in the hot tub

LAX - YYZ (First Class is definitely the way to go!)

Can’t wait to do it all again! Christmas in SoCal must become a tradition!

1/30/2008

Selemat Datang Ke Bali!

Filed under: — Judy @ 4:15 pm


Sapphire waters gently lap upon unspoiled beaches, a gentle breeze threads its way through lush vegetation, while palm trees sway at the foot of a dramatic hilltop…and the sound of your laughter drifts through the warm night air as you look upon your own small piece of heaven.

It is not uncommon to compare Bali to a pristine painting: rice paddies seem to compete for attention along the many hilltops, as clouds skim over volcanoes and deep forests beckon.

As one of the eighteen thousand islands in the world’s most expansive archipelago, Bali represents one of the largest in Indonesia. This tropical haven has a unique blend of modern tourist facilities combined with a rich past and heritage.

Not to be outdone, the island also provides a heavenly experience for shoppers: casual and tailored clothing, locally made jewelry, handicrafts, artifacts and antiques all await you…at very affordable prices.

This popular tourist destination truly offers something for everyone: traditional villages, ancient temples, striking music and dance, breathtaking scenery and the genuine warmth and sincerity of the Balinese people.

It is said that God dropped down a little bit of heaven when he created the island of Bali – why not come and find out for yourself?

1/29/2008

To Remember

Filed under: — Judy @ 8:01 am

Time is a companion that goes with us on every journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

11/17/2007

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Filed under: — Judy @ 11:23 am

I’ve been so absent. I was talking to an old friend last night and she asked me if everything was alright, because you know, my last post was in September. Things are fine, just crazy busy between more SuperMom stints, an active 16-month old toddler, Grade 3 homework and last minute Adventurer requirements to name just a few. That and lack of motivation to write, lack of time, lack of inspiration…and spending a better part of my online time on Facebook. It’s evil!

Here we are just around the corner from another holiday season. I’m looking forward to spending it with the Southern California family this year. It’s been 7 years since my sister and I spent Christmas together. I’m eagerly anticipating some girl time and playing with my very active, mischevious niece…and the boys are scheming tee times (which translates into spa time for us).

Today I’m home with the little munchkin who caught his sister’s cold this past week. He was running a slight fever last night and slept fitfully. I didn’t get much sleep either so here we are missing out on Children’s Ministry Sabbath. Good news is that I’m certain he’s feeling a lot better because he’s in the pantry trying to get into the chocolate as I type.

Better run it’s a little too quiet over there…which can only mean he’s up to no good!

9/26/2007

Incompetence

Filed under: — Judy @ 8:59 am

Bank of America sucks!

How does a cheque get lost between the bank branch and the cheque clearing center?! When will they finally own up and just admit that someone screwed up…big, really big!

9/21/2007

Catching up on the Blog

Filed under: — Judy @ 9:49 pm

Here I am back-blogging again…

I’m totally in denial that summer is over. Technically it’s still summer for another couple days and the weather has been amazing (outside of the weird cold snap we got last weekend). I’ll take whatever sunshine I can get. I’m not quite ready to retire the flip-flops for another season. Summer vacation went by too quickly.

Jessica is now into the tail end of her third week of Grade 3. With the Board policy changes this year, classroom sizes are smaller which means more split classes. Jessica is 1 of 20 third grade students in class this year. She loves her teacher and is thrilled that she and her best friends from last year are back together again. But unfortunately, there will be some classroom shifts come Monday so the girls aren’t too thrilled. I’m hoping for the best.

The last few weeks of summer were crazy. Jay was out-of-town so I did another stint of Super-Mom. It was a mad rush to get our camping gear together for the Adventurer Camping weekend - by “get” I mean sit in 2-hour delays at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge to get to Buffalo to buy all our gear. We’re not big campers so we didn’t already have the stuff on hand. But we’re now equipped with a 4-man tent, sleeping bags and even a Coleman stove…not bad for someone who hates tent camping huh!

It was madness trying to get all the food and bags packed to get an excited 8-year old and an active 13-month old ready for a camping trip. We camped two nights at Rattlesnake Point in Halton Hills. Just far enough from home to be in beautiful Escarpment Country, but near enough to drive home in case of a total fall-out. It was Justin’s 1st tent camping experience and he was quite fascinated by it all. The nights were cold…cold enough to drive Justin and myself to sleep in the truck on the second night. Jessica had a fantastic time. I have to admit it was a good weekend, but I was glad to have my own ensuite and bed back after two nights away.

After unpacking the camping bags, I had to repack luggage for a road trip to New York City and New Jersey to attend Mark and Rowena’s wedding, visit family and spend time with friends. For a toddler that’s flown several times already in his young life, this was Justin’s 1st major road trip and I knew it would be a long haul. I usually make it to Watchung, New Jersey in 8 hours, but this time it took almost 11 hours to get there (thanks to more border and construction delays, more frequent, longer pitstops).

It was nice to see the NYC family. Liz was thrilled to finally meet Justin. He took to her instantly! Or was he just fascinated by her Sidekick. Ha! We got to stroll around the 3rd Avenue Street Fair, have some New York style pizza and grab a Jamba Juice in SoHo. We also got to hang out with Jane, Paul and the kids at a gathering for Tita Nenita’s birthday. Good times seeing everyone so soon after our July visit. There was some major power shopping at Bridgewater (I’m still amazed at the deals I find when I’m under the clock) and stop in on our former neighbors in the old hood on the way back to Toronto. Noticed a new Maggiano’s in Bridgewater, but didn’t have time to sit down for dinner.

With the loonie at par with the greenback, we’re looking forward to many more power shopping trips south of the border! And longer lists for Jay to run around with whenever he’s away. He is afraid, very afraid!

In other news, Justin is walking! His little drunken shuffle is getting more and more steady as the days go by. Give me strength!

8/31/2007

1st Steps

Filed under: — Judy @ 11:52 pm

Just a couple weeks shy of his 14-month birthday, Justin took his first independent steps towards me today. He was dancing…then all of a sudden he took 3 steps towards me before his little bottom hit the carpet. We cheered him on and he was really quite proud of himself. He did it several more times before deciding he was too pooped to continue performing for the parentals. I’m bracing myself for the day he discovers what havoc he can wreak with his new found skill. Perhaps I’ll be trading in his Pedipeds for some hardcore Nike’s soon.

8/7/2007

My Monthly Post

Filed under: — Judy @ 10:39 pm

So here it is - my “used to be daily, but is now working out to be a monthly post", at best! Even Dan Rochman is posting more often that I am these days.

Justin is 13 months old today which means his 1st Birthday party was a month ago and I’m realizing that I haven’t had time to blog about it…or anything else for that matter. Facebook is the new internet addiction and even that is getting a little boring these days.

To sum up the birthday celebration news, it was a busy, busy weekend with plenty of family and friends in town to share the milestone with us. My sister, brother-in-law and niece, the family from NYC and Paul, Jane and the kids, along with Jane’s parents and brother joined us for Justin’s Dedication and 1st Birthday. It was great to see everyone.

I’m a mother to an active toddler now. Justin is totally giving me a run for my money. He’s cruising and beginning to let go to stand independently before he realizes he’s doing a “Look Mom, no hands!” He’s discovered our stairs so I can’t take my eyes off him for a second. I think he’ll be walking in no time.

It’s been a busy summer and school starts again in just a little less than a month. But we have to pack in a day at Wonderland, a camping trip, a roadtrip to New York City/New Jersey and have some friends over for dinner before summer is over. I’m trying not to blink so I don’t miss the rest of this month.

Hope you’re having a fantastic summer out there!

7/7/2007

1 Year Old

Filed under: — Judy @ 12:01 pm

Happy 1st Birthday and Dedication Day to my little prince, Justin! A year ago today you came into our lives. I remember life before you, but can no longer imagine what life would be like without you! I love you. We love you!

6/29/2007

Beijing, China

Filed under: — Judy @ 10:53 pm

Well, I guess our trip to China is now very old news! But needless to say, our May 19-24, 2007 trip to Beijing, China was awesome! I think we truly would have regretted missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if we had let this invitation get past us. This trip probably wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for my sister, brother-in-law and parents who helped us out with the kids. Thankfully, my sister was able to rearrange her work schedule so she could have some days off to help out with Justin during the time we were away. Even my sister’s in-laws and my aunt and uncle joined in on the childcare duty. We were so grateful to have their help!

With each of our kids in different parts of the continent - Jessica here at home and Justin in California - Jay and I caught a flight from LAX to SFO to Beijing the morning of Friday, May 19. It was a long journey and I was restless for the last 2 hours of the flight. Half a book, 4 in-flight movies, several cat naps, a magazine, 2 meals and several snacks later and we still weren’t there yet! Finally, we touched down in Beijing, went through customs without any problems, picked up our luggage and followed the guides holding the company placards directing us to the coaches that were waiting to take us to the Grand Hyatt Beijing.

As tired as we were, I couldn’t sleep because I was anxious to take in all that was Beijing on the drive to the hotel. Beijing is a fascinating city where ancient history remains wonderfully intact amongst the modern construction. The city streets are immaculate. They’re cleaning up the city in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. But the air quality is horrendous.

My body clock was so out of whack because of the time difference. The minute my head hit the pillow mid-afternoon local time I was out. I thought I would just close my eyes for half an hour or so, but it was 10:30 pm before I woke up again. Jay and I were starving so we headed down for a bite to eat at one of the hotel restaurants. We bumped into Jay’s colleage and his wife (coincidentally they also happen to live down the street from us) so they joined us for a late night dinner.

Since the event didn’t officially start until the following evening, most of Sunday was a free day. We met up with our neighbours again for breakfast and then decided to take a cab to Pearl Market to do some shopping. The guys whipped out their sales negotation skills (haggling is a must if not purely for the entertainment) and we walked away with some sweet deals. Most of the vendors spoke very limited English so the calculator was the tool for communication. We would ask “How much?” and they would plug in a figure (an extremely ridiculous amount in their currency RMB) to indicate the price of an item. Someone gave us a tip that we should haggle the price down by at least 75% to avoid getting ripped off and to politely walk away if the vendor didn’t budge on her price. Most of the time they ran after us, grab an arm, and in broken English ask us to give them “a no-joking price” (they would feign horror at the price we offered, but usually they remained in the game). It was fun to watch but emotionally taxing because it took an hour to deal with some of the vendors.

Sunday, May 20 - The Welcome Dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt kicked off a string of back-to-back activites for the short time we were there.

Monday, May 21 - Was an early day packing in walking tours of The Forbidden City and Tianamen Square before making the trip to The Great Wall of China for a tour and dinner atop the Wall.

Dinner on The Great Wall was definitely the highlight of the trip. The hike was no easy feat, but definitely worth it for the spectacular views and the photo ops. Unfortunately, my little 4.0 megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera just didn’t do the splendour of The Great Wall justice (I’m dreaming of a sweet digital SLR).

The company even arranged for its own manned port-a-potties for lack of proper westernized restroom facilities. We were welcomed with a Dragon Dance at a special Cocktail Reception and Dinner atop The Great Wall. Apparently, this is only usually reserved for dignitaries, but someone called in favour to make this happen. After an amazing dinner and a gorgeous sunset The Wall was lit up just after nightfall. The moment was surreal and I’ll never forget it!

Tuesday, May 22 - Another early day to catch a 7 am flight to Xi’an for a full day excursion to see the Terracotta Warriors. Another spectacular sight. Flight back to Beijing was delayed for several hours - not cool!

Wednesday, May 23 - A day of leisure and more shopping. Took a taxi to Silk Market for more haggling and last minute gifts for family back home. Quick shower and change for Cocktail Reception at The Rostrum and Gala Dinner at The Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square. Learned that these two venues are also usually only reserved for dignitaries. Locals were staring wondering what kind of celebrities were on the 8 coaches with police escorts.

Thursday, May 24 - Last minute packing and a quick dash to the private breakfast, goodbyes all around and a mad dash to catch our flight to SFO then LAX. Missed the kids and couldn’t wait to see them! Missed our connector to LAX, managed to get on the next flight out, but our checked baggage didn’t which meant waiting around once we arrived at LAX. I was dead tired, just wanted to get back to see my baby. I had no desire to see another ounce of Chinese food, just a burger with the works would have been great! Picked one up at Carl’s Jr. Got back to my sister’s home and played with Justin and Mia, talked about our trip, tried to catch a nap. Met up with friends for dinner…for Chinese food at P.F. Chang’s.

5/6/2007

Girl, Work it Out!

Filed under: — Judy @ 6:09 am

The invitation reads:

Thanks to your exceptional performance in 2006, you and a guest are invited to join us in Beijing, China for five memorable days where we’ll explore China’s unique history, architecture, culture, scenic beauty (and, of course, shopping). Beijing is a city of extremes; its past is a rich tapestry of history and culture spanning tens of thousands of years, while its future holds the honor of hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics.

While in Beijing, you will have the opportunity to wander through historic Tiananmen Square (the largest central square in the world) and the Forbidden City (largest and best-preserved imperial palace complex in the world). Explore quaint parks and neighborhoods, wander through the alleyways and shop to your heart’s content. You’ll also journey outside of Beijing to hike on the Great Wall and view, firsthand, the ancient Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an.

So much to the relief of a few people who thought we were on crack to turn this opportunity down (long story), we accepted the invitation (worked out the childcare issues) and we’re totally psyched!

5/4/2007

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Filed under: — Judy @ 11:45 pm

The month of April just whizzed by - our trip to California, Jay’s business travel for half the month, a short visit from the Negrillo family from New Jersey and a quick sighting of more First Filipino SDA friends, Johanne, Alfredo and cute Julianne, Larry and Allen - and here we are in May. This month we’ve lived in a cloud of home improvement dust for a few days. Glad that’s over, but now we’ve got some major cleanup to do. We’ll also be celebrating Mother’s Day, continuing the struggle to wean Justin to the bottle (good luck with that) and starting to think about his 1st Birthday, taking him to his 10-month appointment, leaving the kids (our first time to leave baby Justin for an extended period of time, gulp!), hiking The Great Wall, playing with my niece and spending time with family. I won’t even blink for fear of missing it all.

4/26/2007

My Little Butterfly

Filed under: — Judy @ 6:13 pm

We’ve been back from our Southern California vacation for awhile now. Its taken this long to get back into the groove. This vacation was long overdue and as always it was great times, awesome food, big laughs and time well spent with the SoCal family. I was holding my breath that Justin would be fine on his first flight. Thankfully he traveled well!

This winter weary body welcomed the beautiful mid-80’s temps we got our first day there. It was fun to watch the kids interact. My sister and I had been eagerly anticipating the opportunity for the cousins to spend time together. The two baby cousins, Mia and Justin, were very cute together. Mia warmed up to Jessica instantly after a game of peek-a-boo. My niece is so adorable, smart, kissable and totally squishable. I love being an aunt…especially to such a cutie pie!

Highlights of our vacation include lunch with my brother-in-law’s family (nice to see the newlyweds too), citrus fruit picking at the Cardona Citrus Grove (overdosed on oro blanco). On a sidenote, thanks to his Auntie Cindy, Justin’s new nickname is Mr. Oro Blanco who happens to be Toronto cold winter-white compared to Mia’s Southern California sun-kissed tan. Can’t forget a day spent at Legoland California and being completely fascinated at the fine details captured in the miniature San Francisco, Vegas and New York City constructed out of Lego blocks. Jessica had a blast on the rollercoasters, the babies enjoyed being out and we’ve discovered a new yummy treat - Granny Smith Apple Fries with cinnamon whipped cream. Yum! Of course, in between all the stops were visits to Jamba Juice, In-N-Out and Target. Where else but!

We spent most of the week shopping, running errands and helping my sister out with the last minute preparations for Mia’s Dedication and 1st Birthday Celebration. Cindy and I got in a few hours of sister time alone as we ran around finalizing the catering and the cake for the party. Its funny how a mundane task like shopping at Sam’s Club is actually fun when my sister and I are together. We chatted, laughed and compared Mommy Brain stories (whoa - I thought I had it bad).

On Good Friday, we took the kids to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. It’s a fascinating place to spend the day. BubbleFest was incredible! World famous bubble artist and Guiness Book record holder, Fan Yang, did things with bubbles that I didn’t think were possible. Even little Mia clapped her hands in delight whenever the crowd would applaud.

Instead of battling Orange County traffic, we had dinner at Maggiano’s in Costa Mesa. We were stuffed to the gills and could barely breathe in the car on the way home. And there was plenty for the next day. Leftover tiramisu and apple crostada tastes just as great the next day.

On Sabbath, we attended the Easter musical service at La Sierra University Church. There was something special about attending church with my sister, brother-in-law and niece, Norm’s parents, cousin Ed and my aunt and uncle for a change. It was refreshing to just be able to sit and enjoy the service (or at least most of it anyway). I always seem to find myself in the Mother’s Room with Justin on Sabbath, but this time my sister and niece shared a pew there with me. It’s not very often we get to spend that kind of time together so it was indeed a treat.

We had to tie up a few loose party ends Saturday night and didn’t make it to Joyce and Eric’s home. The boys got some time at the driving range during the week, but the girls were too busy to get their spa afternoon. Next trip, the guys are babysitting! Instead, we hung out at the house. Ed brought over a Cold Stone cake for dessert to share after some take-out sushi and more laughs.

Mia’s Butterfly and Flower themed 1st Birthday Party at the La Sierra University Alumni Center was a smash! Pastor Dan Smith, La Sierra University Church, dedicated Mia in a special ceremony just before the party. The catered Thai food was awesome, the floral centerpieces were stunning, the kids (and some of our adult relatives) loved the face-painting, magic tricks, balloon animals, bubble show and parachute game with Butterfly the Clown. Longtime friends, Glenn, Ann, Andrew and their new twins, Ava and Abigail, came out to join the birthday fun.

It’s the special moments like these that make me wish we lived a little closer to each other. My sister and I wish the kids could see each other more regularly. Of course, I’d love to see my niece more often than once or twice a year. She’s growing so fast…and she’s blessed with fantastic parents. I love you my Little Butterfly! Can’t wait to see you soon!

3/30/2007

I’m Walkin’ on Sunshine

Filed under: — Judy @ 3:56 pm

Spring is finally here and this sunshine-deprived gal is very excited! The fresh air and sunshine feels so good! I really don’t mind running around with Justin doing errands when the weather is nice! He likes being out and about too. It is such a chore to leave the house in cold weather.

March Break has been over for a couple weeks. Jessica enjoyed her week, although we didn’t do anything overly exciting - just relaxed around the house so she could play with her brother, Alanna came over for an all day playdate and Jay took Friday off so we could spend the day at the Toronto Sportmen’s Show.

Last weekend was hectic - visited Jay’s parents after church since its been more than a month since they last saw the kids. Jessica and Jay spent the day skiing at Snow Valley for the Adventurer Ski Day. Justin and I went along for the drive to Barrie and watched everyone swooshing down the slopes from a nice seat beside the fireplace in the chalet.

I’m busy packing (half the house) for our vacation. This will be Justin’s first flight and I’m crossing my fingers he’ll sleep most of the way. We’re looking forward to the change of scenery and climate, spending time with family, hooking up with friends and celebrating my niece’s 1st Birthday.

Oh but before I run off, I can’t let this moment pass without wishing Jane a very happy birthday! She’s probably enroute to her birthday celebration in London and Paris as I type (yes, I’m a little jealous). Enjoy my dear friend! Miss you loads!

Happy Weekend everyone!

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