First day of school

....well actually these pics were taken on the second day of school. I missed the first day because I had to work. I hate missing milestones like these! Anyway, we pretended that this was our first day. Allie wanted to pick out her own clothes. After arguing...I mean discussing what matches and what does not.....I decided to just give up and let her pick out whatever she wanted. At least she brushed her hair and brushed her teeth. That in itself is an accomplishment! She has on her new pretty converse shoes that she picked out at Target. Love that store. I swear they look too big on her. She says they fit fine. But she kind of reminded me of Ronald McDonald. But, she is still beautiful no matter what.

Allie with her friends, Makayla and Cheyenne

It took several times to wake up Jacob. He didn't go to bed until late last night......like almost 11 pm! I tried to get him to bed earlier starting at 9 but he just couldn't/wouldn't fall asleep. It will take some time to get him back into a routine. Yeah ,he is holding a check for lunch money. Man, lunch prices went up this year. I am still figuring out how I am going to pay for school fees! I guess I better pick up some extra hours at work! I am happy to announce that our school district is in the "Excellent with distinction" rating. Which I am surprised about because we can't pass a school levy around here. I am content to know that the kids are getting a good education. The school district I graduated from is on academic watch. Ouch! Makes a lot of sense if you think about it! ha ha....

I was so not ready for school to start. I loved having all the kids home...and waking up whenever we wanted ...no schedule to follow....but now that it has started....It sure is quiet around here...I mean...... I realize that maybe it will be good for us to get into more of a routine. I am not looking forward to homework....the deadly trio (Jacob, Mommy, and Homework) aahhh! But, I am looking forward to a wonderful new year.

Jacob

Jacob's First Communion

It was a happy day! I am so proud of my son. He has been preparing for this all year and it was a wonderful celebration. It brought tears to my eyes seeing him so big and taking the body of Christ. He decided that he didn't want to take the wine, and that was okay. This day brought me so much joy and it brought back memories of my own First Communion. I remember wearing a white dress and veil with bright red lipstick! I have no idea why my mom let me wear that , but she did. I wish I had a picture. Let's just say I won't be letting Allie carry on that tradition! Her first communion will be next year.

Jacob is wearing a "barong" which is a formal wear of the Philippines. It is worn on very special celebrations, such as this or a wedding. I think he looks very handsome!

updates, updates, and more updates!!!

First off: Allie's birthday. Unfortunately, Allie's birthday was the weekend of my Cancun trip, so I was not able to spend her actual birthday with her. : ( I felt really bad....guilty even about the whole thing. So to make it up, we celebrated her birthday before I left. We spent some girl time together, just me and her. It was lovely. I love spending time with my girl.

we spent some girl time getting pedicures

getting matching henna tattoo's and eating out with my girlfriends at the Melting Pot

We went shopping!

Here, Allie is making her own birthday cake! Hey....she wanted to!

Celebrating at Chuck E Cheese. It was so weird....Allie invited her friend Evie to come, but her Grandma said she was unable to make it because they were going to be out of town. Allie actually told them the wrong day. We went to Chuck E Cheese anyway and we saw Evie there! We had no clue that she was going to be there! They just decided to go that same day. AND, Evie even had a present for Allie! A BFF necklace that they got earlier in the day! It was so bizarre. There was even an empty table right next to them!

I cannot believe my girl is 7!

Allie is such a good girl. She is so agreeable and easy to get along with. She is so helpful around the house and is just an overall wonderful person. She is so polite and always says her thank yous and pleases. She is so beautiful inside and out. I am so very proud to be her mom.

We also celebrated my baby daddy's birthday. I surprised him with takeout from his favorite restaurant Thai 9. We used our special China for the first time in 10 years. I can't believe that we never used it! They were wedding gifts. It was fun to use the pretty plates.

Cheesecake, his favorite.

I also want to update on how big my 9 year old is getting! Look at this! Already taller than my aunt.....okay so she is really short....

Jacob and Auntie Venia

Here is a pic of how tall Jacob is compared to me! He really is getting up there!

I also wanted to update on my beautiful girl Maddie. She is going to be 2 1/2 soon. Hard to believe. I started this blog when she was just a baby. This little non talker has finally started to do some talking. She still has a long way to go. I think part of her problem is how shy she is. She is just sooooo shy! She loves her Disney princesses! She can count to 10 all by herself! I am so proud of her. She sporadically uses the potty....and has to have pull ups on.... and they have to be princess pull ups. She even favors the one that has all of the princesses on them. Maddie is also so very sweet. She always says thank you. She is so very appreciative of everything you do for her. I bought her a bracelet while we were in Gatlingburg and she said "thank you, Mommy" over and over again...all the way home! She won't sleep anywhere but with her mommy and daddy. YES, she is still in our bed!

Here she is with her princess.....

Jacob turns 9!!!

Jacob turned 9 last week and boy did we celebrate! I surprised him with a cupcake at school for dessert after lunch. I had a good time sitting with him and observing his behavior with his peers. He sits mostly with girls and it seems that he likes to be the funny guy....

getting ready to dig into that cupcake!

I also made a big cake for the celebration later in the day. I spent about 5 bucks on this cake. It was a yellow cake with chocolate icing. So yummy! Totally worth the baking.

wrapped presents while he was still in school, and blew up balloons.

opening presents! JENGA!

the look on Allie's face is so funny!

he has been begging for a nerf gun

and a scooter

Happy Birthday!

The whole family met a Lonestar for a great dinner!

Football Fever

Jacob started playing football this year and he absolutely loves it. It is so fun watching him play! It makes my heart happy. I really do believe that Jacob is the best player out there!
He is great at defense and today he tackled the quarterback and caused him to fumble the ball. I am so proud! I dream to watch him play in college...hopefully OSU! lol

Here are a few pics, enjoy!

A few pics were during a really rainy/muddy day! He was a mess! Was not fun to wash those uniforms.

World A'fair 2010

The World A'fair was a huge success this year. Jacob and Allie did a fantastic job dancing! I was so proud of them...I had tears in my eyes. Not long ago, I was the little girl dancing the folk dances, and now my children are filling in my shoes. It feels good to pass on our Philippine heritage to my kids. It feels darn good!

Here are a few pictures: