Rooting for the OC

This Saturday, Sissy took all of us to her company picnic at the Angels Stadium. Now, we normally only root for the blue, but who can say no to free tailgate food and free baseball?? Not to mention we got "goodie bags" with lots of snacks for the game.

Yummmm.... burgers and hotdogs... I was craving for some wings though!

Ethan looked so cute with the rally monkey!

Ethan was wound up from eating Nerds and chocolate chip cookies.

Jojo the "Traitor", sporting the Anaheim Red instead of the Dodger Blue! :)

Trying to stay in the shade...

Roro was officially dubbed "bi" this weekend --
since he claims to be an equal fan of both the Angels AND the Dodgers.

Sissy and her co-workers

View from the TOP -- literally... [we were on the last row possible]

Of course, that didn't bother Ethan one bit.

We all needed kleenex for these nosebleed seats... :)

mmmm popcorn.. Ethan's favorite!

Fun times. Thanks Sissy for hooking it up! [By the way, the Angels won over the Twins 7-5]

Playtime

Ethan will play outside all-day-every-day, if you let him. It's nice to finally have a yard for him to play in... and when it's not incredibly hot, we take trips to the parks nearby. But even without a jungle gym, he'd be thoroughly satisfied just getting his feet on grass and some dirt, running around collecting leaves. I'm glad it's finally starting to cool down though... Ethan might not might it much, but mommy doesn't particularly fond of being outside for too long (even in the shade) when it's over 100 degrees!

Lounging

Ethan watching his 'latest' favorite movie, "The Heffalump Movie".

Ethan's Autograph Book

For the past month and a half, Ethan's been to Disneyland 3 times. On the last visit, we upgraded to annual passes so it's safe to say it wouldn't be the last! Ethan's collected quite a bit of autographs and he loves to look through them.

I plan to print it eventually.. :)

If The Wind Could Blow My Troubles Away

If the wind could blow my troubles away
I would stand in a hurricane
Get washed away in the drivin' rain
If the wind could blow my troubles away
Blow my troubles away

If the wind could blow my troubles away
Tear the sadness from my face
I'd look in the mirror
I wouldn't see a trace
If the wind could blow my troubles away
Blow my troubles away

If the wind could blow my troubles away
See me stand with a smilin' face
Clothes all flappin' all over the place
If the wind could blow my troubles away
Blow my troubles away

If the wind could blow my troubles away
I would stand in a hurricane
Get washed away in the drivin' rain
If the wind could blow my troubles away
Blow my troubles away


Murray Mclauchlin - If The Wind Could Blow My Troubles Away

The look

The gymnast

Senior Froggie was a bust

Ethan LOVES the water. He loves to swim, and he loves to play in the toilet [no matter how many time outs he gets from it]. But he's not a big fan of water shooting at him. I learned that when I tried to switch it up one day and tried to give him a shower instead of a bath. Bad idea. But I figured he might like the idea of running through the sprinkler... who doesn't? So I picked up this little bugger - cute as can be - and got Ethan ready for a soaker.

First, he looked at me like I was crazy. I kept yelling, "Jump over the froggie!" but that didn't seem to be resonating well. So I tucked the camera away and jumped over the sprinkler myself a couple of times, to show him what it was supposed to be for. "See Ethan! It's fun! Wheeeeeeee!"

Still, no interest peaked. He just stood there... watching the frog's head bobble back and forth. It almost looked like he was afraid to get in trouble. I reassured him that I was letting him play in the water, but all the encouragement in the world didn't seem to matter. He was not running through that sprinkler.

I finally resorted to trickery. I told Ethan I was going to turn it off... and then as soon as he got near it, I turned it back on. He was rewarded by his trust on the bobbling froggie by getting slapped in the face with a jet of water.

He looked over at me, pitiful and betrayed, begging me with his eyes for the torture to stop.

Oh well...

I thought it would be fun...

Guess we'll be retiring the froggie until next summer.

I hate diets

But that unwanted extra weight that's been lingering since post-pregnancy has become a royal pain in the gut... sometimes, literally.

I knew I had two choices: One, I could start excercising obsessively (I know it'll work, but I also know it'll be hardest to stick to). Or two, deprive myself of all things good-tasting.

Heck, why not try both.

So a little less than 2 weeks ago, I recruited my sister, otherwise known as Sissy, to go on a pseudo-South Beach diet with me. I say pseudo because we didn't really go "by the book". We chose not to give in to the commercial jauggernaut of overpriced diet meals, but we did cut off all sugar and carbs, including rice (for those who are familiar with the regular Filipino diet, not having rice is inconceivable). Yes, that meant having to give up my smoothies. Ugh.

Not only that, I reunited with my running shoes and I ran close to a mile last week... on an incline! Talk about monumental, breaking my long-standing hiatus of 3 years. I was lucky enough to spare the sidewalk from meeting 'Earl', although I came really close. Good news was, I was hurting the next 2 days -- woke up all sorts of muscles that had been dormant for years. Bad news is, I haven't ran since then. My goal is to run at least twice a week, and Sissy and I are planning on joining a gym. Or at least we plan to anyway.

Maybe this weekend.


Status: -4

Ha! He wrote back!

I think he was more excited getting this letter than he was Christmas morning.

Score for mommy.

I hope Buzz Lightyear writes me back

So instead of sleeping somberly, dreaming about enjoying a nice, relaxing vacation at a water bungalow in Bora-Bora, I just finished writing a letter to a Disney character.

Why, you ask?

Because that's what mothers do... and I really, really need to get some pills.

I told 'him' Ethan was really excited to meet him last month, but we got so busy running around that we left the park without seeing him or Woody! But that was mommy and daddy's fault for ignoring the daily character meet schedule. But WE HAD TO get on that new Toy Story Midway Mayhem ride! And get Dole ice cream. And ride all the fun rides! In retrospect, I think I was a little more disappointed than he was. We ought to go back just for the purpose of walking around to meet the characters.

So, guilt-ridden as I am, I kindly wrote a nice little letter to the Star Command (ie Disneyland Hotel), and asked if he could send Ethan an autographed picture.

For those who have little kiddos and want to get them yourself, all you need is a short letter asking for a particular character's autograph and mail it to:

DISNEYLAND Resort
Guest Communications
Attn: Character Fan Mail
P.O. Box 3232
Anaheim, CA 92803

I hope Buzz Lightyear (ie that poor intern whose sole job is to open up fan mail and "sign autographs") writes me back.... I can't wait to see the look on Ethan's face when he sees Buzz sent him a picture!

This was taken about 3 months ago... when Ethan found my "future Halloween costume" stash.

Borrowed Times: Disneyland

Goodbye Mickey Ds Sweet Tea

Hello, new obsession.

Mr. Jack, I hope you don't end this 1/2 off promotion any time soon. There's nothing more pleasant than sipping a $2 large mango smoothie on a hot triple-digit afternoon - nevermind that there's 280 calories in a cup. They're supposed to be made with real fruit, which they're not, unless you consider minute maid fruit juices "real fruit" and nonfat frozen yogurt = tons of sugar. But that's probably why they're so delish!

Missing him

It's been almost 4 months since Mike got assigned to DC. Sadly, I've only been able to see him less than half a dozen times since then. We talk everyday, see each other on the webcam ever so often, send text messages. But damn, it's not getting any easier.

How could it?

The first thing Ethan said this morning was, "Ethan wants daddy." So I set up the webcam so he could say his good morning, but even at 2, he knows to reject the idea of a virtual dad. What could I say... except that was the best thing I could do.

It's been a month since the 'last' time we saw him. He got to spend his birthday here, and we spent every day of that week with no regard for time. Every kiss was special. Every hug treasured. It was like making up for lost time, or was it like saving for a rainy day - I kind of tried not to keep track. All that mattered was that he was here. And then he was gone, again.

We try to keep busy. I've been looking around, trying to narrow down, hoping to score that 'perfect' job... though keeping Ethan entertained is a whole job on its own. I've decided my website needed a fresh look. I started to re-visit those virtual volunteer positions. Suddenly, I find myself looking forward to the smallest things. Stalking posts on craigslist, walking around the mall, taking another trip to CVS or yardsaling... anything to make the time go faster. To make myself forget that I miss him.


Tonight, I miss him even more.

It's 1am and I can't bear the thought of slipping under the covers again without him there to hold me... to listen to me talk about my day... to kiss me goodnight.

I miss not having to worry about cooking dinner because he volunteered for spaghetti night. I miss cuddling on the couch to watch our favorite show on DVR. I miss hearing him and Ethan giggle while they chased each other around the house with imaginary laser guns. I miss complaining to him about frustrations from work. I miss him sporadically giving me hugs, telling me he loves me, just because he wanted to.

I just... want him back.

I don't want to wait a second longer, but I will. Because when all this is over, we'll be a family again.

Rookie

For the past two months, I've had to learn a kind of 'mothering' I haven't been accustomed to for the past two years. The kind that doesn't rely on other people to raise my child while I spend 8 hours at work 5 days a week. The kind that strives to find the balance between being the good cop and the bad cop while daddy is away. The kind that fights for every ounce of patience after a long day of pleasing, nurturing, entertaining, teaching, and disciplining...

....quite a bit of the disciplining part lately.....

Must be what everyone calls the "terrible 2's".

It's a tough gig, but I think I'm getting the hang of it...

Poser

Borrowed Times: The beach

For the past couple of months, it seems like we are living on borrowed time. Being away from my husband, the uncertainty of how long we'll be apart, having to quit my job, and taking my son from everything he ever knew and moving him across the country to live with people he barely recognized -- well, you can say my life has somewhat felt like a whirlwind. Some good, some bad.

Then there are those borrowed times when nothing else matters, because we get to act like we're on this never-ending vacation... where the biggest worries are ridiculously over-inflated parking fees, finding a spot on a crowded stretch of the beach and keeping the sandcrabs from climbing up our shorts.

'Streets': Downtown Washington DC

April Goals

So my blog is titled This is my life... and yet, any other person would probably agree it'd be more appropriate to rename it This is Ethan's Life since I rarely get to share very much of me -- that is outside of the domain of being a momma. Don't get me wrong. Being a mother is my proudest accomplishment. But truthfully, if I had even an inkling of a life outside of Ethan, it's quite uneventful. How can you be bored?, my sister always asks like I have some magical answer. I have a job that keeps me busy and a family that keeps me on my toes. Apparently, that means I don't have time to be bored. But I do sometimes get bored, though I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. What is boredome after all but the absence of challenge?

Sadly, one of my most gratifying hobbies right now is completing a purchase at CVS using as many coupons as I can get away with and paying as little as possible. It was a hoot in the beginning, and I can assure you the instant gratification of getting something for free can be quite exhilirating especially for a cheapskate like me, that is until you become consumed by it and/or you eventually run out of room to put stuff in... or both.

I had a real hobby once, I think. At some point, I loved to take pictures. Until I fell victim to the promising impression of extra cash, it quickly became a job and the fun got sucked right out of it. But it's something I've been seriously thinking of picking up again... though I'm not just talking about photographing Ethan... but other things too. It is Spring, after all, the possibilities should be endless.

And then there's the matter of getting back into shape, more specifically getting back to a size I would be more comfortable in. Tonight, at dinner, Mike made a comment about some girl who "didn't look like she has a kid". And although I know he didn't mean it as an insult to me, I did take it pretty hard and have spent the past 3 hours moping about it. I really shouldn't be offended. I have, after all, overextended my pass to use the "I just had a baby" excuse. Surprisingly, I've also recently learned that having to buy bigger clothes annuls the very notion of fun in buying anything new. I always said the day I get discouraged to shop is the day I should be worried.

This cry for change may be short-lived, who knows. I don't think I'm really calling for any substantial change -- just a revival of something I used to enjoy and hopefully get back in those skinny jeans again. Anything's possible, right? :)

April Goal 1: Get back into taking more photos. Task: Post a new (non-Ethan) photo every week.

April Goal 2: Get back into shape. Task: Do some kind of workout at least 2x a week.

The Gap Affair

I'm usually pretty loyal to The Children's Place when it comes to dressing up Ethan. But for this year's Easter, I just wasn't impressed with anything I hadn't already seen before. Same shirts. Same hats. Same sweater vests. So I mosied on over across the hall and had my affair with the Gap. Maybe next year, I'll opt for the more traditional suit and tie, but for now, I was happy with the outfit minus the checkered vest.

He can read!

Ok... so he's not exactly reading like this girl... but if we can start with word recognition, I'm a proud momma.

He loves books, and he loves story time. One of these days, when I find the time, I would love to make him his own book... the story of Ethan. But for now, he'll settle with pretty much anything, including daddy's textbook where he found pictures of molecular structures fascinating.

Winter Be-Gone

Unofficially, Spring hasn't really sprung yet. The days are longer and my allergies are kicking in. We had one good day this week, while the rest were gloomy desperately hanging on to winter. Speaking of which, I realized I hadn't posted the one and only time Ethan got to play with some snow this season. It wasn't much. In fact, we only had a couple of hours before it melted... but Ethan had a blast.

I made the mistake of asking him what snow tastes like... he couldn't stop eating it!



The realization of the snow angel...