'SCOOOLL'

Click the previous post for this update:

1. Baby "D", The Explorer

2. THAT CHRISTMAS TREE

3. MIRROR,BOOKS AND STUFF

4. DYLAN'S SECOND SUMMER

5. ANYA UNO!

Our little Dylan had his very first day at school last Monday, 14th of September 2009. At two (2) years and nine (9) months old, he and his cousin Noemi are among the youngest to join the class of Materna(a three years preparation for elementary). Still not aware of what 'scoula' is, he was just so happy to be there. With so many kids and toys, we know he thinks its another play for him.

Slept early the night before, a fresh and enthusiastic boy he was the next day, even though he woke up 3 hours earlier than his usual time. Dylan was already in bliss when we first took Lukie to his first day in second grade. Another pretreat for our second baby - the sight of noisy and happy kids with his big brother.




While we were waiting for the gate to open, almost all his classmates were holding on to their moms. Scared of the newness of this adventure and unfamiliarity of the place. But not Dylan, he was there walking around and posing for his Papa's camera. Its not because he was a brave boy but we think he can't understand yet that 'scoooll'(as Dylan says it) will be long hours away from Mama and Papa.


We entered the building and the teacher put on his red name tag. He was a bit puzzled but when I showed him the letters of his name, he didn't mind the red fish tied around his neck anymore. Boogie and I, along with other parents stayed with our babies on their first day. An hour and a half to just play and explore the new place.

When Dylan got to the clays, he tried to eat it. A teacher gave him a handful of blue colored clay and he was about to bite it like a bread before I stopped him. Its good he knew how to use the paint and paint brush. My mistake, I forgot to let him play with clays. Unlike Lukie who had it when he was a year and a half.

There was this sort of Abacus with it's rod complicatedly twirled that you'll have to delicately follow before you can move the beads. It was Dylan's favorite toy, the very first thing he looks for every morning. The teacher said in Italian, "Look how precise and moves the beads perfectly considering his age", when she was observing our son for the first time.



When it was time to go, I took Dylan to his locker and again showed him his name. I told him we have to leave his red fish name tag there and his flag so that he could use it tomorrow. The next day, he first went to the locker and got his red fish and flag, what a clever boy! I think, if I were 2 and 9 months old, I will be confused with the many lockers looking all the same.

It was raining when we went home. Great! No umbrella. Then Papa, Mama and Dylan on the push chair run like mad. Dylan was still smiling while the rain is keeping his eyes close..... "It was sure a fun day!", Dylan would say out loud IF he only could already talk clearly.




THE FOLLOWING DAYS:

1. The whole week went well. Almost all of Dylan's classmate cried and would NOT like to stay.....

2. My sister said that Irven, her husband, saw Dylan going out of their room while the class is going on and a teacher was following him to get him back inside hahaha....

3. I was scared of Dylan wetting his pants. We just started to toilet train him 2 months ago. So far, its been 2 weeks now and he goes home with the same pants.

4. Friday night on his first week, he had a flu, had a fever on Sunday causing him to have a poor appetite until now. He stayed home till Wednesday and back to school Thursday. When I went to get him, he was crying and was relieved to see me. He has a small cut on his lips that had put him in a bad mood till we went home for lunch.

5. In the 3 classes of 'scoula materna'(red, blue and yellow), small kids are mixed up with the big ones. Ages 3 t0 6 with 2 teacher in every room. 26 or 27 children in each class.

6. Dylan's teacher was still in class with the bigger kids who will be dismissed 2 hours later so I wasn't able to ask what happened to Dylan's lips.

7. Friday morning, I was waking up Dylan and telling him he has to go to school. On the bed, still sleepy and eyes squinting, he said, "Ooooch"(meaning - OUCH) while pointing at his chin.

8. We decided that this year, Dylan will just stay at school for 3 hours and a half only. He will not take the school bus and the school lunch too. He still can't follow rules, understand danger and eat well on his own. Till then, we hope to enjoy more Dylan's remaining 'babyhood'. Something that will surely pass swiftly. Just like Lukie who is becoming a "bigger boy" everyday. Oh, you'll just miss their small hands and feet before you'll know it!

CLICK HERE: Mama's Famous Gate and Did I Get It Right This Time? for Lukie's 'scoooll'.

LUKIE SAYS...

What Lukie just said now or last week, last month or maybe a couple of years ago... I hope to remember them all and will not forget to write even the least profound thought he had and would blurt. We just can't get enough of him now that he is starting to think big or "bigger", like his shoe size, doubling almost every season.

So, Lukie said...

"Mama, why don't you and Papa dance the Tango? Its romantic and the dance of romance(read as rrrrro'mance)!" ..... Not to make you wonder where he picked those lines, his Garfield show taught him that.

"NO! YOU, SHOULD LOOK AFTER HIM!" .... referring to his little brother when the chair (put on the table so Dylan will not climb up) fell on Dylan's head. I went to throw the garbage and I asked Lukie to look after his brother for a bit. I came back and they were both crying while my eldest was massaging Dylan's big bump. Adding salt to the wound of my being irresponsible, I said, "Lukie, I told you to look after him" and I got my answer in big letters.

"The water is cold, e finito il state (summer is finish)"...... Simple and true. This is when my husband called our son to go and have their last swim on the last day of our village pool. Lukie loves the water but he knows when its cold - its cold and its over when its over.

"PAPA, MAY YOU STOP PLEASE!"..... its becoming a pain now hearing my son say this but its more irritating when the Papa doesn't seem to understand what the little boy is asking or sometimes "pleading" for hahaha.

"Mama, you're sexy."..... (I have to LOL here again) .... when I dress up and walk around with my high hills. Makes me laugh for his building definition of sexy - a typical Igorota unblessed with "elevation" hahaha. Oh noo, Lukie, Mama wouldn't mind taller grand-babies, ok?...

"... because its cheaper, its only 70 cents."... He said when we went to buy his school supplies for second grade. I asked why he chose those notebooks over the ones I did with his favorite characters on the cover - its of his animated cartoon show, Dragon Ball Z. Then I can't help but cry, in the middle of the mall, hugging my son, all because - he was right and I was very wrong.

NEL'S UBE CAKE

I just wrote an entry remembering my first year in high school. I was already editing it and I clicked the "back" arrow. BAD, I didn't save it first. Gone for nothing - my 3 hours lost sleep.

Since cakes make me feel better, even just with the sight of it hehehe, I'll post a guaranteed 'bouno'(yummy) recipe from my friend Nelly. I tried last Wednesday and it didn't come close to Nel's cake. Join me as we try and perfect this treat. Let me know of your success... flops too, but I'm hoping not.

UBE CAKE:

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tbs baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup ube powder

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup water

7 egg yolks

Mix all to make a batter.

Then in a bowl, 8 egg white beat until soft peek form.

Add 1/2 cup sugar slowly.

Fold in batter n egg white together.

Bake at 180°C

For the frosting:

3 tbs ube powder

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbspn cornstarch

1 eggyolk

3/4 cup milk

cook in low flame until spreadable...

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

Do you have it too? I mean, when you hear a certain song and you're reminded of an event, a place, something or someone? This song always takes me back 15 years ago when we were taking my cousin, Manang Susan, to the airport. She was to go back here in Italy from a short vacation in the Philippines.

I was at the back seat of the car as we pass by and seeing the stupendous sun set of Manila Bay. "What A Wonderful World" was being played on the car's radio. Every word from Louis Armstrong's song was drawing out tears I was trying to hide from everyone. Specially from my cousin who'll soon be boarding the plane. Its heavy enough to say goodbye and I don't want to make it worst for her.

What really made me cry that time were the street children begging from cars stopping by. Not that I pity them or the danger they were willing to risk. It was their courage and will to pursue that danger in order to survive made me think, they too believe that this is a "WONDERFUL WORLD" after all. Who are we, whom all blessed with homes, parents providing for us and had all the opportunities of being a child, to disagree?

BEACH ON FIRE 09

"Off to the beach in an hour. Third time to watch the longest fireworks in the whole world. A 13 kilometer of synchronized blustering sounds and enchanting shower of sparks display." This is what I posted on my Facebook shout out last night before we left home.

Dylan and Lukie were playing with the sand before the fireworks started. I told them to come seat next to me or they'll miss the first launch. Oh, lately, my kids seem to listen the fifth time I tell them something. They might have gotten it from someone else hehehe... Then they tell me I'm 'makulit' if they'll finally do what I say... Then again, if I say something once and they missed it, they blame me cause I should have told them a dozen times...

Booom! The firecracker started to "roar". Dylan docked on the sand for his precious life. And startled Lukie, didn't know if he'll run to me or on the sunbed he was suppose to sit!

I told them its soon going to start, didn't I?

Maybe next year or when Dylan will not cling to me anymore, I can get better shots. My little one enjoyed it while I was covering his ears. He was mumbling words I can't figure but I know what he was saying was simply, "WOW"!

People applauded 5 times thinking it was the finale. It was better this year. Funny how me and Lukie would say, "that's new", every after an awesome blast, which we're sure, it wasn't used the previous years. Click our old post for this event: Beach On Fire and BEACH ON FIRE 2008.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Last week, we took the kids to Jesolo Aqualandia . Its only a less than 30 minutes ride from our home. Had we known the place is so much fun, we should have taken Lukie and Dylan since we lived here. Last year we took them to Gardaland and we had to ride the boat, the train and the resort's bus just to get to this amusement park. That's almost half a day of travel.

Lesson learned: "We seek in different or far places when we already have them next to us". Oh, it doesn't only apply to theme parks or water parks, its also true to people whom we should give what is due! hehehe... a thank you perhaps, I love yous or apology maybe and yeah, happiness too. Look around before you plan that long journey hahaha...

5 PEOPLE

I'm not sure if it was in Oprah's Show, where I first came to know, about this idea of finding "the five people" who made a difference in your life and tell them, "thank you". With the exemption of immediate family of course, they will always be the first on the list. You can do it through letters or by simply uttering these two words. Then like a chain, request these five persons to do the same.

He or she could be your teacher, an author, a dear friend, an enemy etc... Some might even be a total stranger, a passers by, yet they had taught you a life lesson you will forever cherish.

I really love the idea. Not only that you'll make someone happy, but also the positive aura of contributing something good in this world.

Lucky are those who were able to find their heroes. Their exemplars who could still hear their words, who could still feel the joy and see what they have become. Some are not lucky enough and their "thank yous" were left hanging on air longing to be heard. I will forever feel sorry for my self if I will not grab the chance to say mine.

My husband wrote a piece for her ailing teacher, Mrs. Clarita Sumahit, in this article: My Morrie. Me and my sons thank her too for the great help he once gave to the most significant person in our life who said in his "The Weaver Fish" this phrase, "....that life brings us all sorts of pain. And that we learn from our sufferings, we grow from our agony, we endure the wretchedness even though it would mean that we might loose the ones we love".

In my own little way, I'd like to start saying how grateful I am to these "5 people": Sir Ren, Manang Marlene, My best friend Brenda, Emilio and Auntie Gloria. A letter for each one of you, I hope to compose.