An afternoon in Mega

Our family made pashal at Megamall today. We brought the twin stroller with us this time. We were confident that the twins will ride it na, compared to our Glorietta trip some months ago. My brother also had a check-up at The Megaclinic.

The Delos Santos-STI Mega Clinic
5th level, Building A
Tel No. #6379661-62
Open everyday (even holidays), 8am-9pm

While waiting for my brother, we let the twins walk/run outside the clinic where a mass was being held. Some teenagers in "weird" outfits were passing by. The twins would stare at them, and run to us. Scaaared, hahaha. Apparently, there was a convention of cosplays that day at Megatrade Hall 3. Shempre I couldnt relate! My brother had to explain it pa to me.

Cosplay Mania 2008

We wanted to make usisa coz some of the costumes were really asteeg. But super dami tao at Megatrade Hall so we had picture taking with some of them na lng. Wawa Carlos coz he got afraid when the red guys moved.



So we decided to leave na the 5th floor and go to Sbarro for merienda. Vito saw some pushcars outside Sbarro, which can be rented for P50/hour. Lately kase the twins are going gaga over the steering wheel. They love to drive! My mom put Vito in one of the parked pushcars and let him vroom vroom away, while we wait for our orders. I love pizza, yummm!





After eating, Carlos tried the pushcar too. Naku, ayaw na umalis!



My dad suggested we go to the arcade he saw at the basement. I intended to buy just two tokens, one for each, para lang masabi na they were able to try. My dad gave me P100 and said "Ubusin yan lahat". Anuba. Spoiled ang mga apo. So I paid the cashier and got sixteen tokens, wow. E di Vito was ready na to drive this red car, nka-porma na sha. When I put the coin in the slot, the car went up down up down. In an instant, ayaw na nya, he cried and gusto na magpabuhat. So Carlos na lang took his place and he super enjoyed it! He would cry, scream, freak out when the ride is over. Super sulit ang tokens kay Carlos, hehehe! :)

My dad bought two balls from a store near the arcade, and said, "O ayan na lang". He knows Vito loves balls! Super spoiled talaga the apo! So while Carlos and his yaya were checking out all the rides, kami naman ni Vito played with the ball. Super enjoy the twins today, and me super pagod (his yaya was on day off). Sarap to bring the twins to the mall. Sa ngayon, kase hindi pa sila nagtuturo, hahaha! I love my twins! :D

Twins first children's party

We were invited to attend a 1st birthday party for the son of Keith's officemate. It was held at Windmills & Rainforest in Timog, and the theme was Pirates of the Caribbean.





The party was hosted by Butch Gonzales, who did balloon twisting, games and a ventri act. Pirates of the Caribbean items were everywhere - entrance and stage standees, backdrop, balloons, storybook, table napkins, etc.

With all the beautiful and colorful props, what the twins loved the most were the kiddie chairs! I know. Haha!



There were two tatoo artists at the party and many kids lined up to get their tatoos. When it was our turn na, Vito was irritable and so - ako na lang, hehe. I tried the glimmer tatoo and had a purple flower done on my left cheek, it was crazy!



More pictures here.

Twins 1st birthday party

It's the twins' 1st birthday party! We had simple celebration today with 150 of our closest friends and relatives. We had good weather and most kids came in their Superhero costumes. :)

VENUE: Shakey's Galleria - 6320549



We booked Shakey's because they are accessible, affordable and accommodating. They waived the electricity charge and there's no corkage fee if I bring my own cake, clown and decors. It's also optional to get their party package. So basically, we just got food from them. The use of the soundsystem is free, and it was loud and clear in the entire restaurant.

+ I asked for a tarp standee for the welcome banner and an additional high chair since twins (they only have one), and they were able to provide at no extra cost.

+ The party manager asked if I have a stick for my balloon burst, but I forgot to make one. She took the initiative and made one for me using a stick and a pushpin. Now, that's what I call excellent customer service :)

+ Their people were helpful and they were ok in dealing with us. Walang nagsungit or whatever. They also helped us pack the leftovers and gifts and hinatid rin nila sa car.

+/- Our party was scheduled at 3PM, but they allowed us to come in at 11am so we can inflate the balloons for the DIY table centerpieces. By 2pm, we were allowed to set-up the place. The crew helped us in attaching the balloons, piñata and balloon burst sa ceiling. Akala ko by 2pm i-lock na nila ung venue so we can decorate but they were still entertaining customers. By 3pm we had the place exclusive. The programme didn't start on time coz we waited for the other guests. It started around 4pm na and super hungry na ang guests. So after the first game, pina-serve na yung food. Since late na kme nag start, late na rin kame natapos and I had to cancel three games so we can finish by 6pm. We were charged P500 for the 1-hour extention.

+/- The party was well-attended and Shakey's was jam-packed! Capacity nila is 150. We invited 100 people but madami ang dumating. So like the Baptism, hindi kinaya ang aircon, so yung iba (like me), nainitan. Also, one of the aircons was dripping water and so the crew had to mop it several times. Good thing sa likod yung aircon so hindi mashadong sagabal.

+/- In terms of serving the food, ok naman ang pag distribute and very quick naman sila mag respond to additional food orders. Kaya lang sana sinabay na rin sa food distribution ang tissue because we served spaghetti and shempre messy yun kainin esp for kids. They served the tissue after pa kumaen ang mga tao.

+/- Their birthday banner was big which I liked but the names "Vito and Carlos" were lightly printed as in outline lng ng letters, so hindi sha readable. Kung alam ko lng na ganun ang lettering nag cutout na sana ako ng art paper, but too late nung nakita ko, nag start na ang party.

- Hindi ko mashadong like yung table cloth na ginamit kase hindi sila same size.

CLOWN: Tonio's Clowns - 09266245558

















+/- Madaling kausap, but the programme I made was not followed kase lack of time and cguro tinantya nya what is better sa crowd. Flexible din sila sa mga impromptu changes like instead of game 3, food distribution na. Maaga din sila sa venue so we were able to discuss pa last-minute changes, like ung surprise candle-blowing for my brother in law, my sister in law and uncle who were also celebrating their birthdays.

CAKE: Shoppersville Bakeshoppe - 4261246



+/- The cake decoration was cute. The cupcakes were cute too. The only problem was the icing melted coz I brought them early sa venue. Wala mashadong PR ang people in Shoppers, but they are professional and very efficient.

DV FINDS - Superman/Batman costumes, Lootbags, Toys and Stickers for the lootbags and game prizes, Nametags, Party hats, Balloons, mother balloon and handpump.

DIY PROJECTS: Invitations with map & envelope, Guestbook, Table Centerpieces, Coloring sheets, two Cupcake stands, Thank you cards, Piñata, Balloon Burst, Arranging of toys & candies inside the Lootbags and Wrapping of Game Prizes - Tlagang DIY to the max! Every night for two weeks, I would sit down to do the party preps. Everything paid off and I am so happy my piñata was a success! Hahaha! :) Thank you God for holding it in place! ;)

















Of course I had help from my Superfriends and I would like to mention them here -

CHANDELIER BALLOONS AND ENTRANCE ARCH: Party Boosters by Jacque Tan

++ I loved the entrance arch and chandelier balloons, as in tinalbugan ang mga DIY balloons ko! Shakey's is bare so the entrance arch was perfect kase pagpasok pa lang ng guests, may party-feel na agad. Pinagkaguluhan ng mga kids ang chandelier balloons when the waiters were removing them from the ceiling. Kahit ung mga yaya ko kumuha rin to bring home to their families. It made my party look sossy because of the imported shiny balloons. Jacque is very professional and a perfectionist. She followed the party motif of blue & green. I was impressed with her tools. Complete sha sa materials needed for the balloon decors. She also came in early to make sure everything will be set-up correctly. Most important of all, she is mabaet and madaling kausap. For those who are interested, you may reach her at 09178985227.

TARP PRINTING for the Welcome Banner & Piñata: Pheng Aquino

+ Pheng helped me sa tarp printing. I felt she understood my needs as a DIY mom and gave me a good deal so instead na small tarp lang ang ipagawa ko, I got a long tarp which is perfect as welcome banner. For my piñata, nakuha ko rin ung gusto kong design when I got the tarp material. Kahit sa text and email lang kme nag usap, I got the goods in good condition.

Special thanks to my Lola Nena and Uncle Alex who came all the way from Dumaguete just to attend the party. And to my Ninong Roy who came from the US. And to my sister in law Mau and her family who came from Bulacan. Also, special thanks to my brother Bogs who did all my layout requirements, and to Justin who skipped his classes just to attend the party hahaha! To our parents, for all the help. And of course, to my Kabuki sisters who assisted me in decorating the place and during the party, Thanks everyone! :)

More pictures here - http://family.webshots.com/photo/2105473360080638636oojHhy

First public appearance

This was published in the Birthday Corner of Manila Bulletin, June 28 issue. Funny lang, they had to choose a winner :P For me, everyone is a winner! :) Happy Birthday to all June Celebrants... especially to our twin boys, Vito and Carlos! :)

Twins first haircut

Happy 1st Birthday Vito and Carlos! :)

















We went to Kids Hair Salon in Galleria so the twins can have their haircut for their party tomorrow.






















Kuya Vito getting his first haircut. :)

















Carlos didn't want to have a cloth wrapped around him. Ok, pagbigyan. :)

















After the haircut, we went to Tom's World and Toys 'R Us. Then we went to Edsa Shrine to say our prayer of thanks for the twins birthday. We had dinner at Pancake House and went home na so the twins can rest and I had to do pa kase a lot of DIY stuff! :D

Twins first photo shoot

Here's our family collage, taken by Jace of The Picture Company - Podium.

Twins' first plane trip

It's my first time to fly Cebu Pacific. We left on schedule, no delayed flights. Smooth ang touch down both going to Dumaguete and Manila. Thank God. The food, you have to buy - P50 each ang Nova and C2. P100 ang mga sandwiches. In general, okay ang Cebu Pacific. It's time everyone flies. :)

The twins at G4

We brought the twins to Glorietta today - their first trip to the mall. It was more like an experiment kind of thing. We wanted to know if we can already bring them to pashalan spots, like the mall. We went to Timezone at G4.

Well, Carlos was behaved the whole time. He would just look at cars and people that passed by. Vito was masungit coz he wasn't able to sleep. He would grab things he could reach. They both didn't want to ride the stroller, maybe because the mall was new to them and there were so many people. So, no choice but to carry them around. Oh my Vito is heavy, I think I broke my arm... :P (The other yaya is on day off).

By the way, it's the first time I saw G2 after the explosion, and man, it's a wreck. I remember buying my kikay stuffs at Goldcrest. Now, it's gone. Bye bye..

In the end, we agreed that the twins are not yet ready for the mall. We'll just come back on their 1st birthday ;)

Pearly whites

Carlos has been masungit these past few days. It is difficult to guess what's causing it - I suspect it's his tooth coming out or his stuffy nose. He would cry cry cry in the middle of the night and would only stop if you carry him. And with this I mean standing up from bed, picking him up, rocking/singing him back to sleep. He cries when I put him down. So I carry him a few minutes more, until he is sound asleep.

Now, I know why :)

His teeth have come out! :)

Two little pearly whites have sprouted from his lower gums, in a span of a week. It's amazing! :)

The twins' first out-of-town trip ~ Tagaytay

We took the twins to Tagaytay today. We left Manila at 5am to have Eat-all-you-can breakfast at Josephine's Restaurant. It was their very first out-of-town trip. They were asleep during the trip and were very behaved. We brought their yayas along, Ate Juvy and Jennifer.

We were the first customers to arrive at Josephine's. Excited? Hahaha!They open at 7am to serve all-time favorite Filipino breakfast dishes, buffet style.

They had high chairs made of rattan, similar to the chairs we were using, and two pieces were placed beside our table. But we couldnt sit the twins just yet, they are still too small and they would bite on the armrest. My favorite line is "Ooops.. no.. dirty". They would reach everything on the table and would climb on the chair, on us, etc. It was better they were with their yayas. So after we ate, we carried them so their yayas could eat naman.

I loved the creamy and sticky champorado with milk, the sweetness was just right, yum! :) and their made-to-order omelette was cooked on the spot. I also loved their brewed coffee, although it was nothing special, I had 3 refills Hehe! I also had bread, bacon, tocino, beef tapa, rolls with strawberry jam and kesong puti. There were a lot of food in the buffet, but didn't get to taste them all coz I was already full.

The restaurant also had an aviary. We would bring the twins there if they are already bored in their seats. As usual, we were very sikat. Everyone looked and gushed "uy kambal". One family sat beside us, just so they could sit beside "twins" for luck. Hehe. We are used to this na Hahaha!



We had lots of fun and I'm sure the twins enjoyed too.. Until next time! :)

First Solid Food Experience

During our last check-up, Dra. Quinta, gave us (finally) the Go signal to start giving solid food. She taught us the basics on spoon feeding. She told us to give small amounts first, about half a teaspoon, then gradually increase in the following days or depends on the demand. She said that babies would usually just spit out the food. If we prefer fruits, she advised papaya for Vito (to cure his constipation). For Carlos, she advised banana, mango and potato. But, she suggested we try Cerelac first.

And so we did. The twins had their first solid food today, January 3. We sterilized their rubber spoons, and mixed formula with Cerelac - Wheat and Milk.



Guess what. The twins loved Cerelac! They munched and munched and swallowed the cereal like a pro. They would reach for the spoon and scream if you didn't feed them fast enough. Hehehe.

After the first feeding, Cerelac was all over the place - their faces, hands and bibs. *:P

This picture shows how Carlos reacted upon tasting cerelac for the very first time. Hehe.

We couldn't get a clear shot - Vito is very ecstatic, grabbing the spoon from me.

Smile for the camera! This is our first family pic :)

With Vito and Carlos at two months...



One plus one is two
and that's the both of you.
Twice as much to love
two blessings from above.
Two precious lives to mold
two little hands to safely hold.
God touched our hearts
so deep inside,
our special blessing
multiplied!! =)