My Terrific Three

Today is my son's 3rd birthday, which means, 1st year anniversary of this blog too!

Anyway, though today's his birthday, we had to move the celebration this coming Sunday so that everyone can attend. But my son didn't mind it as long as he got what he wanted for his Birthday, a fish.

He always love fishes. My parents-in-law had all sorts of books and toys in their house for the grandkids, but my son always wants the fishes more than anything else. He wants to read the Hooray for Fish book by Lucy Cousins all the time. His Grandpa also gave him some artificial fish lures for him to play with. He always keep them in a container and remembers where they're exactly at everytime. So I already decided, before he even asked for it, that I'm gonna buy him a fish for a beginner like him. But when I asked him couple of days before his birthday what he wanted for his birthday, he said fish.

So, today we went to PetSmart and got him a Betta fish. We asked for PetSmart associate for advise, since me and my husband doesn't have enough knowledge about fishes, about what fish is good for him to have as a pet and she recommended the Betta fish. The thing is, a male Betta fish can't live with another Betta coz they'll gonna kill each other unless a female Betta is ready to reproduce. So, we got him just one male Betta fish.

He got to name his fish and after about an hour trying to decide, he finally decided to name his first pet "Spotty". The fish isn't spotty though but I guess he got the idea from his daddy coz his daddy's first dog's name was Spot. He just made daddy so proud.

Aside from Spotty, we also got him couple more gifts which I'd be posting later together with all the other gifts he got. For now, I need to end this post and spend more time with my terrific three on his very special day.

Grandparent's Day!

Yesterday, September 13 2009, was so-called Grandparent's Day. Honestly it was the first time I heard of it in my 25 years living in this earth, but, oh well.

Just like every Sunday, we visit my parents-in-law and once in a while their other Grandkids, Kevin and Keegan, stay in their house for a night of two if my in-law's will babysit them. So yesterday, it was a perfect Grandparents day for them coz all of their grandkids were there. And the kids had a playdate which doesn't happen that often.

Anyway, I'd like to share some pictures that I took yesterday. Hope y'all like it!


Keegan, Kevin, and my son, Abi, hugging each other


The kids reading stories with Grandpa and Grandma


..and my son, having fun with the mud puddle.

Gifts list

I think it's time for me to change the title of this blog now, or maybe not. This blog was named Starts at Two because I made this on the exact 2nd birthday of my son and I made this for him. But my son will be 3 a few days from now which means it'd this blog's 2nd anniversary. Wow, time really flew fast.

Anyway, I'm making a list of gifts that I want to give my son on his birthday. Last year, I gave him a piano and a laptop. I was just done looking online for some and I saw a lot of laptops now. Last year, there wasn't alot to choose from but he liked what I from him anyway.

My boy is growing so fast. He will be 3 soon but it seems that it has just been yesterday when he was still so delicate and small. The way he looked the first I saw him in the labor room while I was fighting my drowsiness from the anesthesia they injected me is still fresh on my mind.

Thinking of him growing makes me sad and happy at the same time coz I know that there are alot in the world for him to see and make him a better person but time will come that he will have a life without me in it. And what makes me sad. I know I shouldn't be thinking about it yet but I really can't help myself.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

"Hear Ye, Hear Ye!". It seems that this is how we always like to say whenever we have a very important announcement to make, right? Most especially when we want to tell everybody about the blessings such as having a new baby.

Now, look at the photo of the card on the left. Isn't it pretty? That is commonly use for birth announcements. No, it's not from us coz I'm not having a new baby yet, but I was looking around and trying to plan ahead. But just in case you happen to be expecting a new baby soon, you may want to check out peartreegreetings.com coz they have a variety of baby cards that you can choose from and with a very affordable price.

I just can't help myself admire the card I saw there especially the one that I picked to be displayed here.

On formal attire

I just want to share an idea to all Moms who has a small kid like mine. My son, as a 2-year-old, is not easy to find formal clothes such as tuxedos because of their size, they are small. We experienced that hardship during my wedding last year in July. We actually didn't find tuxedo for him so we just settled with a coat. It still looked for formal but I'd still prefer the tuxedo if we found one.

A few days after the wedding, I went online to search for it and I saw formaltux.com that makes tuxedos for any sizes and gender. They have a wide selection of tuxedos and formal attire to choose from too. So, if you want to order tuxedos for small men just like my 2-year old, give them a call with the number shown on their website.

Too early for the Holidays

Guess what? I'm thinking about the coming Holidays now. I know it's way too early yet I can't help myself because I can't wait to see my son who would be 3-years-old by that time to open his gifts that he would surely love. That doesn't mean that I'm not giving him gifts before Holidays, of course I will, but you know how much kids loves to open gifts, I mean lots of gifts during that season.

Anyway, I just happened to remember one commercial from Walmart during last year's Holiday. It was about a kid who can't stop himself from smiling after he received his gift which is a gift card. So, he went to Walmart and got himself a Nintendo DS. So, I thought, it would be a great idea to give gift cards if you don't know what they want or you want them to have the freedom to choose what they really wanted.

Special day

Yesterday was my husband's off and our 6th Monthversary too. We didn't do anything really special but we did something that we don't do everyday. Actually, we did it for our son and not for us, but in a way, it's also for us because we were able to spend more time with each other and with Abi.

Anyway, we went to the park and had some pizza. Abi played in the playground and we hiked a little bit around the park. Then I saw this beautiful tree which I believe a Japanese Magnolia trees also known as saucer magnolias. It is very lovely that I wanted to grow one once we will be at our permanent home.

After we went to the park, we did our grocery shopping and we retire home then. It always feels good to spend that kind of time with my family. It makes us forget about the bad things and whatever problems we have right now.

My Holiday Gifts

I just remembered today that I haven't posted about the gifts I received these past holiday. I know my son's gifts are posted already, but mine aren't.

Anyway, I am so happy to receive a lot of gifts. I got some from my hubby, son, and in-laws. Honestly, this is the best holiday I ever had, gift-wise. 'Cos I remembered myself hating exchanging gifts during the holiday 'cos I always end getting something I don't like. Well, except for my holiday last 2007. I was with my team mates and I got a cute pink, polka dot bag from Jackie which I really like.

Back to last year's holiday, I got a lot of things that I really like. From hubby, I got two pairs of footwear, both purple which is my favorite color. Then, I got a $100 KOHL's giftcard, two pair of purple slipper socks, and an iPod from my parents-in-law. But the most special gift I had is my son's handprint. Actually it was for me and hubby. It was so special.



But, I just wondered how my mother-in-law knew that I like ipods. I just love 'em all!

Holiday gifts for Abi

Christmas has just passed. We don't celebrate Christmas though, but we had our "Family Day" on the 25th of December where we did an exchange gifts. And once again, it's the day of spoiling the kids. Oh yeah, the kids got really spoiled that day 'cos of all the gifts they received.


the winner toy: copter from Aunt Yvonne

Yup, his favorite toy now is his copter given to him by my sister-in-law, Yvonne. But I was so proud of him though, because he shared it with his cousins. Though he was hesitant at first, but we keep teaching him how to share, so he ended up sharing it. I know it was a big sacrifice for him and it really broke his heart to see that someone else is playing with his new copter. But at least, he did the act of sharing.


laptop from Mom & Dad

Then, we got him his own laptop. It is actually a learning laptop. Of course, he's too young to have his own real laptop.

We got him that 'cos I used to work in front of the computer. So, with his own computer, he can keep himself busy and think that he is doing what Mom does.


little truck from Aunt Shonda & Uncle Kevin and big truck from Grams

It was a co-incident to have them give Abi the same type of toy. Actually, those toys have the same brand. The only difference is the size. But Abi still enjoyed playing with both, and at the same time. Those two trucks always goes together for him.

Then, he also got some new clothes from his grandparents too and set of balls (football, basketball, and soccer) from my brother-in-law Kevin and his wife, Shonda. So, he got 5 gifts, in total for his Holiday. He sure did had lots of fun with his new stuffs.

Great Vacation Deal

I always wanted to have a family vacation next year. I want to go to some other States. Right now, I am searching for the best deals I can find to make sure that our vacation is worth each penny that we will pay.

One of the best Vacation Package I've seen online is from Orland Theme Park Vacations, which is a 3 Day Vacation that includes the following.

* Westgate Resorts 5-Star Accommodations
* 3 Days / 2 Nights
* 2 Disney World Theme Park Tickets

And it only cost $99 which was originally $399. Isn't that a great deal?

I'm sure my son would enjoy that vacation and so am I because I've dreamed of going to Disney World eversince I was a kid. Now, this would be my chance.

The search for gifts

I am so excited for our first Family Day here with my husband's family. We are so glad that Andy's parents understands that we don't celebrate Christmas so instead of having the traditional Christmas party, they agreed to just celebrate that day as our Family Day. But to make the kids happy during that day, like what they are used to, we can wrap some gifts for them. That makes me more excited because I love to give gift especially for the kids. Finding the right gifts is easier said than done though. Well, I don't want to just grab any cute things and give it to them. I wanna give them something useful and they would enjoy. It's funny that I'd compare this experience with finding a unique commercial real estate because you think that they are very easy to find because they are just anywhere, but nope! I need to find something that is worth buying because every penny has a value nowadays.

But, before I made this post, I already did my online shopping for the kids' presents and I am so excited for it. I am sure the kids would me more excited than me once they see what I've got for them.

Visit to his cousin, Kevin Jr.

We visited Kevin, Jr., son of my husband's brother, Kevin today. It was his birthday last Wednesday, Nov. 12, and today is a small get together for Kevin's family which is us.

Abi had so much fun and got very excited with all the toys of his cousins. New toys are really interesting for kids, even if it is just new on their eyes.

Well, there are a total of 4 kids in their, my son, Kevin Jr., Keegan, and CJ, Shonda's nephew. I stayed with them in the playroom which made me babysit all the 4 of them. It was so overwhelming and exhausting because they all need attention. I even said to myself that there is no way that I will have 4 kids.

Anyway, I was surprise coz being with other kids, which I don't normally do coz I am just with Abi alone most of the time, made me realize that Abi is far better than the other kids. I am not saying this in a bias way, but I am really observant about other kids' behavior.

I was playing with the other kids' earlier coz they wanted my attention, like play with them with this and that, but my son, he was just very contented playing all by himself. He was able to entertain himself coz he knew that my hands are full. I felt bad about it coz I know I should be playing with him instead of the other kids. But he's handling himself pretty well which made me a very proud Mom.

JennyL's Birthday Bash

Hey gals and guys! I spotted another big event in the blogosphere. A so-called mini contest hosted by Jenny of Jenny Talks, Ir is her way of celebrating her birthday month and her birthday would be this coming 16th. But this contest would run November 30th.

It is very easy to join. Just click on the contest logo below for more information.

HERE ARE THE PRIZES:
1st PRIZE
$20 from Jenny Talks
$10 from Nita's Random Thoughts
$5 from When Mom Talks
$5 from Buzzy Me
1,000 EC Credits from A Slice of Life
500 EC Credits from A Life in Bloom
500 EC Credits from Simply Me
500 EC Credits from Nita's Corner
500 EC Credits from Great Finds and Deals
500 EC Credits from Batuananons
125x125 ad spot from Thomas Web Links
125x125 ad spot from Simply Jen
2ND PRIZE
$10 from My Fruitful Voyage
$5 from Moments of my Life
$5 from Blessings in Life and Nierva Dot Com
$5 and 500 EC Credits from Kitchen Deelite
500 EC Credits from Way of Life in OZ
500 EC Credits from Because Life is a Blessing
500 EC Credits from Fab & Chic Finds
500 EC Credits from Filipino Online Community
500 EC Credits from Computer Technology Gadgets
125x125 banner ad display from My Precious Niche
125x125 banner ad display from Food on the Table
3RD PRIZE
$5 from Fab Finds, etc.
$5 from Just Blogging It and PRC Board Exam Results
500 EC Credits from Around HongKong
500 EC Credits from Whats Up!
500 EC Credits from Digiscraptology
700 EC Credits from My Cross Roads
500 EC Credits from Healthy Living and Lifestyle
125x125 ad spot from Thomas Travel Tales
4th PRIZE
$5 and 500 EC credits from A Mother's Horizon
1,000 EC Credits from Nierva Dot Com
500 EC Credits from This and That
500 EC Credits from Scraps & Shots
500 EC Credits from Rumination
125x125 ad spot from Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts
125x125 ad spot from Tech Stuff Plus

Great prizes huh?! Don't let tjis chance pass and join Jenny in her birthday celebration. Com'on!

A Piano For Abi's 2nd Birthday

We gave Abi, our son, a Fisher-Price Baby Grand Piano on his 2nd birthday.

We decided to give him this toy because we observed that he loves to play with his Dad's piano. Plus this toy is something where he can learn a lot and would help a lot for his development. He can learn to identify colors, count from 1-8, play music, etc.. This is really something that is appropriate for his age.

I saw it from Toys R Us online, but unfortunately, they won't accept my PayPal account for payment. So, I called the Toys R Us store nearest to us and I was so glad that they have a couple of this toy. So, we immediately went to the store and bought it.

Abi's Birthday Celebration

We just got done with our little birthday celebration for our son's 2nd birthday. It was so simple but I am pretty sure that Abi had so much fun.

We didn't have a big celebration because we can't afford for it right now and Abi is still 2 so he won't appreciate such thing yet but we made sure that it is something that would my son's day.

My husband's mom, brother and his own family, and his sister who lives with us was our only visitors. We had Abi's favorite food: Jone's Supreme, Mac and Cheese, Beans, Cake, and Ice Cream. Though we let him to be picky this time coz it was his birthday.

Abi got a couple new toys as gift. We got him a little grand piano coz I observed that he loves playing his Dad's piano. His grandma and grandpa got him a big squishy ball and 4 mini airplanes. Yvonne, my sis-in-law, got him Thomas the train with flashlight and a metal slinky. And Kevin, my brother-in-law, got him couple of shirts.

I don't have pictures to post for right now because it is hard for me to upload the pictures on my sis-in-law's computer and our computer is not working properly at this time. I will publish the pictures and will write a post about it as soon as possible.