I beg your indulgence as I would like to do a recap of my life in 2008. It’s a good way for me to look back and see what I’ve done, what I’ve accomplished (if any!) and maybe laugh on the few highlights along the way. I think it’s my way of assessing how 2009 should unfold, don’t you think??<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">January</span> – Aside from New Year celebrations, we’ve just been focusing on Den’s 3rd Quarterly exams and preparing for her class retreat that’s scheduled for this month. One of my grandfather’s brother, Lolo Boboy, the one I’m very close to, also died from a heart attack on Christmas day and then he ended up in a coma for about a week until the family decided to end his suffering.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">February </span>– is a BAD month for me and my family. My mother died on Feb. 7, 2008 after being hit by a Toyota Tacoma while crossing the street in San Diego, California. I got denied a US Visa at the Embassy which made me feel so bad and furious. She was buried on Feb. 25, the same day as my sister’s birthday. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">March</span> – Hectic Month because of Den’s graduation from High School (March 28) and the birthday of my two kids, Dana turning 4 and Dylan turning 2. My mom was supposed to come home for this but she didn’t make it. We just took the kids to the Mall and had some food prepared at the house. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">April</span> – Summer time. Relatives from the Paypon side had a reunion and we all went to visit the family’s hometown in Calayan Island, Cagayan at the northernmost tip of the Philippines and spent about 10 days there. It was an adventure, having to spend 12-14 hours on a bus and another 10 hours on a boat (going back was 6 hours only) to get there. It was the first time for my kids to be there. We had a blast!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">May</span> – It’s a poignant time because of my mom’s birthday. She would have been 61 years old. We were also busy with enrollment procedures for Den for her college education.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">June</span> – School season. We had our Internet connection upgraded to DSL. Even though it’s the slowest speed for DSL (it’s what we can afford), it was still a great leap from dial-up haha I’ve also started freelance writing to add to the family income.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">July </span>– I’ve been looking for ways to augment the family income and I found that blogging is one way to do that. I’ve just had my blog approved for a sponsorship website, where you write about products and they pay you for it. It’s something cool :) Oh! and I also got an article published in The BIG C magazine entitled, “Finding the right words to say to the cancer patient”.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">August</span> – I lost a tooth! In July, I was suffering horribly from such a painful tooth that my whole face was swollen from it. I finally got it removed!! Haha and I can’t tell you what a relief that was! Oh and it’s Den’s 17th birthday too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">September</span> – There’s a new addition to the family, my niece Sofia Jasmine, born on the 4th. It was also Lance’s 2nd birthday and the Tadeos had a little get-together in Marikina. Chance for the kids to play together and the grown-ups to catch up on things :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">October</span> – Stevie and Toni gave birth to their 2nd child, Hannah Sofia. It was my 36th Birthday (wow, time flies haha). <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">November</span> – Patrick and I celebrated our 14 years of togetherness hahaha. Undas (Day of the Dead) was hard because now there’s someone I’m personally mourning. A visit to Patrick’s mom’s grave was like a substitute for visiting my mom and that’s where I ended up crying my heart out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">December</span> – is a full month. We took the kids to see the Dinos Alive in Manila exhibit. We were able to buy a new TV, DVD Player and a 5.1 Theater system. We treated ourselves to TGIFriday’s, Hooters, and Don Henrico’s (on separate occasions, ok?). We thought it was a good end to the year. But alas, bad news came at its wake. Patrick’s Dad collapsed, had a heart attack and ended up in a coma on Christmas day, just like my Lolo Boboy a year earlier. He died on New Year’s eve. Things will never be the same way again.<div class="feedflare">
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Did you ever have that feeling that when something goes right, you think what's the catch? or if something is too good to be true, there's something bad that's going to happen to balance that effect? Well, I should have sensed it coming. We were just having too much fun last December that the bad thing should have been inevitable.<br /><br />Christmas evening here in Manila, we received a call from Patrick's Dad and Tita Flor. We had a great time chatting and they were even able to talk with Dana and Dylan which was a great thing. Dana was telling them about the gifts she received and about seeing the Dinosaurs in Dinos Alive. It was a nice conversation.<br /><br />The next day, Patrick received a call from a distraught Tita Flor that Dad collapsed and was taken to the hospital. It didn't look good. Later on, we found out that Dad flatlined and was revived a number of times until he lapsed into a coma. Further testing showed that he had kidney damage and a previous diagnosis of emphysema, which was probably what caused the heart attack when he was having trouble getting oxygen. The climate in Sacramento wasn't good too because it was too cold for him making it even more difficult to breathe.<br /><br />The doctors said that they'll do further testing on the 3rd day because from their experience, comatose patients usually recover after three days. They'll have to see if there's still brain function and if he can survive without the life support machine. So, the waiting began.<br /><br />It's tough being here in Manila, when all that is happening is a million miles away in another country. You wish to be there for your Dad but you can't. All you can do is hope and pray that he makes it.<br /><br />On the third day, December 31, we found out that he no longer has any brain function and that his kidneys are damaged and may get worse if he survives. If he is taken off the life support machine, he won't survive. The family decided to end his suffering with much regret and loss. It's even more difficult for Patrick because his mom also suffered the same fate, having a stroke and ending up being in a coma. She did die on her own, sparing the family from ending her life. <br /><br />The New Year doesn't look too good from this perspective. We need to find a way to bring him home. Finances are tight so cremation looks like a better alternative. It's just that they won't be able to see him for the last time. Hopefully, Stevie has better luck getting a US Visa so he can go there and personally bring their Dad home.<br /><br />We're going to miss Dad. Dana and Dylan lost a loving grandfather. Patrick calls himself an orphan now. The only consolation I guess is that their mom and dad are now together. I can't even begin to imagine how Tita Flor must be feeling now. I pray that she has more strength to deal with what comes after.<div class="feedflare">
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We sure love going to Mall of Asia. What we like about it, is though it's a bit far compared to the malls beside us, it's so huge that even with a lot of people shopping, you're not going to feel claustrophobic. There are a number of our favorite restaurants, like Don Henrico's where we had lunch on Saturday (coincidentally, it was kind of a belated 14th anniversary outing). Oh, and if we haven't mentioned it, Patrick and I are planning on getting married next year hahahaha<br /><br />Well, the first item on my list was getting to Picture City where they have a 10 3 promo. For every 10 pictures you develop, you get 3 additional pictures free. So I prepared the pictures we needed to print on a CD and when we got there, we asked for 260 pictures printed ! LOL that's a lot of backlog from our library LOL We also found out that they even give away free 8x10 pictures for every 50 15 pictures. So we got 4 free 8x10's from them hahahaha Not bad, eh?<br /><br />Oh and before I forget, we stayed until 11pm because they extended their shopping hours till 12MN!! We ate at our favorite Italian restaurant (<a href="http://www.donhenricos.net/index.htm">Don Henrico's</a>) for lunch. We had Al Pesto Pasta (Patrick thought it should've been called "Al Garlic" because it was too garlicky for his taste) and Extreme Mushroom Pizza and Fish and Chips! We then roamed the mall for bargains. Patrick bought 2 Krispy Kreme coffee thermos jugs, one for himself at work and the other to give for his Christmas Kringle buddy. We bought the kids new shoes (again!), bought a pair of shoes for me and gifts to give the young nieces and nephews :) We passed the local hardware store (kinda like Home Depot) and I wanted to buy so many things for the house because they were all on sale ! LOL But I only ended up buying 3 different screws for the new speakers LOL <br /><br />Den joined us in the afternoon (she had practice for her PE Dance Class) and it took her 1 and a half hours to get there because of traffic! I was kinda worried because she gets carsick. Good thing she didn't throw up LOL<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N5XkzoYbpbM/SUYtkpIHItI/AAAAAAAAEks/DfpuwDfdFsU/s1600-h/MOA - 15.jpg">

I mentioned in the previous posts that we've been looking at DVD players while shopping at the malls. What I forgot to mention was that we were also looking at television sets and PC's as ours have gotten pretty old. Our TV is almost 15 years old and has been repaired a number of times. The PC, we contemplated on upgrading but there are no available parts left :)<br /><br />Well, we were all surprised by a little windfall that came our way. One of my aunts, Tita Cora, arrived in Manila last December 11 and with it came a balikbayan box from my grandma for Sharon and myself. She was also the messenger for a bit amount of money from my Grandma and my aunt and uncle in Washington. Needless to say, combined with these and some of Patrick's Christmas bonus, we were able to take advantage of the Christmas sale at Abenson's in Robinson's Ermita. <br /><br />We got P1000 off the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Samsung CT21Z58 </span>that's something like <a href="http://abenson.myayala.com/shop/products.asp?product=424&categ=8">this</a> except that the speakers are hidden but gives absolutely clear sound nonetheless. I love its glossy finish. It even came with a free TV Rack. Patrick purchased the combined <a href="http://abenson.myayala.com/promos/promo2.asp">Philips DVD and Home Theater System</a> (Philips DVP-3260)which was also on sale for less than P1000. Its got great reviews, can read almost any kind of disc, has karaoke function and a built-in USB drive.With all these purchases, we got an additional P500 discount hahahah Not bad for a day's shopping :)<div class="feedflare">
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For the past couple of weeks, I haven't been doing any writing at all! Good, because it allowed me to catch up on a lot of household chores LOL Bad, because we're going to be quite broke again LOL<br /><br />Honestly though, I was glad that I wasn't doing any writing because it allowed me to look at my kids real closely. And I noticed that they really have grown!!!<br /><br />Dana's pants, shirts and shorts have gotten so small for her. Dylan can reach across the desk where the laptop is and get access to all his DVD's!! And just the other day, Den noticed that Dylan has grown really tall and now his head has gotten past the stairs railing. <br /><br />Also, Dana and I were playing Suikoden III on the Playstation and with it, I noticed that she can read whole sentences already!!! The dialogue for the game is read not heard so that allowed me to watch and listen to her. She was reading the dialogue by herself!! Gosh, that surprised me !! I mean, I knew that she knew how to read but the skill with which she was reading was awesome!!!<br /><br />Dylan is also pretty much potty-trained already. He's gotten used to going to the bathroom for both peeing and pooping :) The problem is, when he's wearing just briefs he still has an accident because I think it confuses him and he thinks it's a diaper! hahahha when he's wearing shorts, he doesn't have any problem LOL When he's taking a nap, he even wakes up and goes to the bathroom and then goes back to napping :)<br /><br />Time is really flying by and I wish we can slow it down some :) I still want to spend more time with my kids :) Although I do am lucky that I've been there for them all these years.. It IS a privilege :)<div class="feedflare">
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Oh my gosh.. the 2nd semester for Den's freshmen year has started last November 3 and we're plagued with so many expenses. Those who have kids in college and university will understand what I mean LOL<br /><br />Can you imagine this? I think their generation has turned into a generation of waste. I apologize before hand because this post may have a few gripes in it so be warned! :)<br /><br />What I mean by a generation of waste is this. For instance, every sem, every student is required to take PE classes, right. So that's fine. The problem is the uniform - for every class there's a special uniform. She took soccer last sem, she had to buy soccer pants, a cap, gloves, socks and a shirt for P700 a set if I'm not mistaken. After that, she's not going to use it anymore. For this sem, we just went to the mall to buy her a pair of dancing shoes because her PE is social dance. I thought it's just your regular pair which may cost around P300, at the most P500. This is on top of her PE Uniform which already cost P700 yet again. Well, guess what? The danged pair of shoes retails for P2,000 pesos!!! Is this right? Do I need to spend this much for a PE Class???? What the heck?!!!<br /><br />I remember when I was in college, we only had a regular skirt, shorts, jazz shoes and a shirt for our PE Uniform.. All girl students have the same uniform regardless of their PE class. The shirts are color-coded based on year level, so the whole ensemble you can use for a year's worth. The only different PE Uniform is that of the swimming classes, which is understandable coz you can't exactly swim with a skirt on.<br /><br />I just don't get it. It was just lucky for me that when we went to this mall, they were having a pre-christmas sale so we got the shoes for 50% discount. But still, it's a big chunk of cash out of our budget... It's just not right, man!!<br /><br />At a time when people are trying to scrape off every little thing they can to live day to day.. this is a big blow.. I don't know what their university is thinking!!!<br /><br />Well, enough of this ranting.. I was able to buy some sandals for both Dana and Dylan at a fraction of the cost yet again :) I'll post the pictures soon :) Oh and DVD's for kids were on sale - if you buy one, the next DVD that you buy will only cost P5 hahaha. I bought Dana one of Thomas the Engine and the other of Pingu :) That was a steal !!<div class="feedflare">
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Patrick and I just reached our 14th year together!! Wow, I guess this is more than what most married couples reach hahahaha I mentioned this to my brother and he laughingly said, "Marriage is evil" hahahha I guess it's to be expected coming from siblings of a broken marriage.. <br /><br />Anyway, so I was thinking what was it that made us last this long? I would have to say it's our sense of humor. Both Patrick and I are crazy hahaha, just ask anybody we know.. It's no surprise that our kids are the same way :) We both love the same things - we both love to read, we both love to write, we both love to play video games, we both love to watch movies and films, we both love to eat. That's not to say that we don't argue or fight about some things, of course we do, who doesn't? <br /><br />But from our differences we also learn something new. Like, if not for Patrick, I wouldn't have known what the heck an F1 is (honestly, I still don't know haha) and I guess he's tolerated my fascination for the X-Files and David Duchovny (for that matter) and I know that he favors Madchen Amick and Charlize Theron among others :) We each have our own indulgences LOL I keep telling him that he's lucky with me because I don't get jealous when pretty girls (and pretty boys <wink>) come into his line of vision. <br /><br />Now that we have kids, we find our fulfillment from them. Watching them grow and learn and be happy. Our kids are bright, it's unbelievable they came from us hahahaha they're pretty cute too if I do say so myself :) We may not have enough money (sometimes no money at all!) but we believe that raising our kids to be good, intelligent and independent is more than what we can hope for. It's a testament to <br />our parents who raised us the same way. I just hope that they'll be proud of us someday.<div class="feedflare">
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Yesterday, we trooped to <a href="http://www.robinsonsmalls.com/">Robinson's Manila</a> to buy Den new pairs of shoes for the 2nd semester in school. "New shoes? Again?!" you ask haha yes, she needs new shoes because her feet are like a bulldozer for some reason and shoes don't last long in them LOL<br /><br />Fortunately, when we went to Philam we found out that <a href="http://www.robinsonsmalls.com/">Robinson's Manila</a> was having a sale so we decided to go back for some great bargains. And we did find great stuff, not to mention, getting confused about the whole layout because apparently, the new Adriatico Wing was expanded even more and it was surprising to see so many more shops! :)<br /><br />Here are the bargains we got:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N5XkzoYbpbM/SRvs9uZRNhI/AAAAAAAAEjE/2_GQO6p_F-0/s1600-h/6288 - 140.jpg">

For most of us, Halloween is celebrated every October 31st. It was only in the recent years that the Philippines has adopted the tradition of Trick or Treat except that kids don't go around houses and neighborhoods, they go to the malls and some other event destination. Oh, they do go around in neighborhoods for those who live in the rich and upscale ones ;)<br /><br />Anyway, after Halloween, there's All Saints' Day and then All Souls' Day - days on which you remember the dead. People go to cemeteries in droves, some have a reunion there, others spend the day cleaning the graves, tombstones and mausoleums. Most times, it's a very happy event, unless the dead that you speak of has only recently joined the ranks, in which case, it's a very solemn occasion. <br /><br />During this time, we call it "Undas" in the Philippines, it used to be an ordinary day for me because I don't really know anybody who died, at least not someone close to me or the family. The only person I know who we visit at the cemetery is Patrick's Mom who died last August 2000.<br /><br />But now that my mother is dead and the wounds in my heart are still fresh, I bear the weight of the season in my heart. I can't visit her grave because it's in the States. I can't lay flowers on her, I can't stay with her, I don't even know what her grave looks like. It's like I feel that I should be doing something but I don't know what.. It's like I'm in limbo for the dead, if there's such a thing. <br /><br />It's just terribly hard and I comfort myself in the hope that wherever she is right now, she's happy and she's free...<div class="feedflare">
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I just added another widget to the blog. I thought since we didn't even have a Christmas tree at home, might as well have the illusion of having one within my blog :) It even allows you to decorate the tree yourself and change the background color ;)<br /><br />It's pretty simple but festive. My only decoration for Christmas ! :)<div class="feedflare">
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Last night, everything was just normal. We had dinner, the kids were playing and everyone was doing their own thing. <br /><br />At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I felt like the lights were flickering. I didn't mind it at first. And then while Den was in the kitchen washing the dishes, she also noticed that they were flickering. So now, I was taking note of the interval between the flickerings (is there such a word?) just to check if it's not just a fluctuation in power.<br /><br />Well, it happened again and this time, there was a "buzzing" sound from the circuit breaker. I was getting nervous now because, for sure, that wasn't a good sign. I asked Den to go downstairs and ask my uncle to check on our breakers because even if I looked and looked I wouldn't even know what I'm looking at LOL much less know what I'm supposed to do. Unfortunately, he was out.<br /><br />So, I was really panicking now. The intervals were getting closer now (wow, like contractions in pregnancy!) until everything went pitch black, but the power was trying to come back on. I asked Patrick to just turn the breaker off. We didn't want to risk a fire. <br /><br />It was then that we thought about the light switch in our bedroom which gets wet every time it rains. It was turned on last night so maybe there was already some short circuit going on which caused the circuit breaker to get hot. We turned it off and then turned the power back on. Thank God no more flickering. But, as a precaution, we unplugged the ref, the computers, the entertainment systems, the microwave. <br /><br />An electrician arrived in the morning but the flickering never returned. What the electrician did was try to fix the sockets in Den's room which for some reason, lost all their power (this wasn't related to the flickering). He was also supposed to fix the light socket in our room. That's scheduled for tomorrow. <br /><br />Wish me luck that we'll have this figured out soon! :)<div class="feedflare">
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Okay .. the day has come and I'm now 36 years old!! hahaha It's so weird but it doesn't feel any different LOL<br /><br />There also wasn't any celebration as I was sick. I remember that ever since I was a kid, during my birthday I always come down with something (usually asthma) and I spend the day at the hospital. At least this time, it's just simple fever and lethargy :)<br /><br />I cooked tonkatsu and Italian roasted potatoes instead of the usual pasta .:) It was still delicious though :)<br /><br />All in all, it was a pretty uneventful day :)<div class="feedflare">
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Well, we have a new niece, Hannah Sofia Garcia Tadeo, born on October 01, 2008 :)<br /><br />I'm afraid I can't post pictures yet as I promised Toni she'll do the honors hahaha<br /><br />All I can say is that she's cute! <br /><br />So, congratulations guys! ;)<div class="feedflare">
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September 27, 2008<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&RGB=0xFFFFFF&feed=http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/api/user/rachel01013/albumid/5251985238266679681?kind=photo&alt=rss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />Today, we went to Stevie and Toni's house in Marikina to celebrate Lance's 2nd birthday :) At first, we weren't sure if it will push through because it ws getting very close to Toni's due date. But, she had her check-up earlier in the week and the doctor told her that Hannah may be coming the week after. But, for once we were on time for a celebration coz we just took the LRT train to get there hahahaha<br /><br />Unfortunately, Dimples, Jericho and Rhys weren't there.<br /><br />The cousins just played around while we were waiting for Ate Rose to finish cooking :) Toni did cook the hotdogs! LOL The food was so yummy!! Ate Rose, Toni thank you! hahaha and to think we even had take-out LOL<br /><br />Thanks goes out to Sharon, Toni's sister for the cake !! Ang sarap!! Delicious!!!<div class="feedflare">
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September 25, 2008<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0xFFFFFF&feed=http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/api/user/rachel01013/albumid/5250136715533192353?kind=photo&alt=rss&authkey=z2tUS1MBkQM" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />Yep, you read that right, in Robinson's Manila, there were 9 life-sized, fully-automated robotic dinosaurs from Denmark. We couldn't miss it considering we are all fans of Jurassic Park and it was cheap at just P25 per person.<br /><br />We were coming from Philam that day and Robinson's was just at the back of it. So we decided to go for it! :) and it was fun hahaha<br /><br />The moment we went in, Dylan let out a loud roar at the T-rex that was at the center of the exhibit. People around us were laughing :) Dana on the other hand was scared and didn't want to get near it LOL <br /><br />Lots of moments for picture taking as you can see :)<div class="feedflare">
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Saturday, September 20, 2008<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&RGB=0xFFFFFF&feed=http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/api/user/rachel01013/albumid/5248120024062367409?kind=photo&alt=rss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />It was Patrick's payday so we decided to take the kids to the zoo. For the longest time, they've been wanting to go but we always had little or no money to take them so it was such a relief that we were finally able to take them out of the house and bring them to where they wanted to go :)<br /><br />The kids were so excited! Patrick and I were too because we knew that the zoo had undergone some renovation so we wanted to see just what's improved. <br /><br />We were lucky enough to see the elephant during feeding time, so he's more active than usual hehehe We timed our trip to be a little late in the afternoon so the animals were awake when we got there. The highlight of our trip was the tiger who was up and about. I wish he had let out a huge roar to top off the experience but really it was such a magnificent animal.. and scary to think that he's so big and can bite your whole head in one gulp LOL<br /><br />The experience was a bit marred when we encountered a family along the way and the father was pointing to the tiger and telling his kids it was a lion!!! oh my gosh!! how can you not even distinguish a tiger from a lion!!! there was even a sign on the fence telling you what animal that was! I was so irritated (can't you tell?!) hahahaha<br /><br />Anyway, we were also happy to see the hippo moving about.. usually we just see the top of his body in the water :)<br /><br />The ostrich was alive and kicking as well :) I wonder what happened to his other friends? The last time we were there, there were three of them.. hmm..<br /><br />So finally, we get to the playground - there were swings, slides, jungle gym and even a fountain park where water shoots out from the ground in sequence. It would have been nice to shoot it but there were kids running around naked in the water LOL Only in the Philippines, I think LOL<br /><br />Dana went immediately to the slides. She didn't like the swing because she says she may fall. So up and down she went on the slides.<br /><br />Dylan was different. Since this was his first time to actually be on the slide by himself, he was a bit wary, although he was looking closely at his Ate Dana. When Patrick put him on top of the slide and let him slide, the expression on his face was priceless! It was like, "what was that?!" and then he smiled LOL Then Patrick put him on top again, let him slide, this time he made a sound LOL He said, woooooow!! all the way down hahahahaha after that he was literally unstoppable :) Poor Patrick hahahaha<br /><br />After the zoo, we went to the nearby shopping mall to buy some groceries. We were able to buy Dana a Jumpstart CD which we immediately played when we got home. <br /><br />It was a good day! :)<div class="feedflare">
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<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0xFFFFFF&feed=http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/api/user/rachel01013/albumid/5245049792185442033?kind=photo&alt=rss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />Just a couple of minutes ago, my sister, her husband and their baby just left. I was so surprised that they dropped by. Sharon probably knew I couldn't go to their place because it was so far so she made the trip herself. <br /><br />At last, I saw my new niece, Sofia Jasmine, born last September 4, 2008. She's so cute!! <br /><br />My sister gained a few pounds since I saw her last which is only natural as all women go through the same "torture" hahahaha<br /><br />I hope I get to see more of the baby.. I will really have to take a trip next time.. <br /><br />Enjoy the pictures!!<div class="feedflare">
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