(Don't) pick up (those) sticks!

Here's what Baz did with a few popsicle sticks.

He sure looks proud of his masterpiece :) I checked - no one helped him :)

It's typical

for the boys to go from best friends to the worst enemies in a matter of seconds. What more when there's something yummy, or what appears to be yummy, at stake.



Note: The boys love the story of the gingerbread man. It took awhile for Hadrien though as the first time the story was read to him, he literally shed a tear when he found out that gingerbread man was eaten by the fox in the end.

Ouch!

Crying, shouting and chasing around the condo...

Yaya: Kinurot ni Baz yung bird ni Hadrien. (Baz pinched Hadrien's penis.)
Me: Baz! Never, never do that. Stand in the corner.
Baz: I don't want to!
Me: Did Hadrien like it when you pinched him?
Baz: crying and wailing - but louder this time.
Hadrien: Hi, mommy!
Me: Hadrien, what did you do? Why did Kuya pinch you?
Hadrien: Because I put sipon (mucus) on him. Because he's bad!
Me: Ok, that's not good also. You stay in the other corner.

More crying and wailing....

5 minutes later, all was forgotten :)

Another 10 minutes later, the two boys were sharing a bowl of strawberry pretzels, waving them around (pretending they were magic wands) while singing "salagadoola mechika boola bibbidi bobbidi boo, put 'em together and what have you got bippity boppity boo".

No stage fright here.

The boys marvelled at the idea that their Daddy was also a teacher. So, given the opportunity to take the stage, the boys did not hesitate. All weekend, and up to now, Baz would repeatedly brag that he had to meet with his ex-students to discuss Media Law - his Daddy's assigned topic. On the other hand, Hadrien took to the stage pretending to actually give a lecture, and not to mention, regaled his audience (by then only Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Gramps, Auntie/Dean Neny, Auntie/Professor Ritchie and the UP staff) with his rendition of the Lupang Hinirang (the Philippine National Anthem) which goes like this - "Bawang magiwiw, buto naman dagiwiw..."

Auntie Ritchie's comic art says it all -

What's the deal?

Given that we don't have good TV reception at the office where my boys hang out on MWF's and that we have had a fairly good amount of control over what the boys get to watch.... the boys, or might I say, Hadrien in particular, has become quite a fan of "Deal or No Deal". I should have known when I heard him say "D oh D" how bad it was. I just hoped it was not because of Kris Aquino, the host of the Philippine version of the hit US TV show.

Tonight however, my hopes were dashed. While driving along EDSA, packed with giant billboards, many of which have Kris Aquino's right profile and raised eyebrows smiling right at you, Hadrien pointed out McDonald's golden arches to hi Kuwa-Ba. "Look, Kuwa Ba! It's McDonald's o - on top of Deal or No Deal!". True enough, the big yellow M was on top of a picture of Kris Aquino! Arggghh!!!!

Tagaytay Photos

I'll leave it up to Raffy to write about our recent road trip. For those who prefer photos to words, click here. Drop me a line if the link doesn't work!

Seeing Double

Early Friday morning, Raffy gave a lecture on Media Law in a seminar for Batangas and Mindoro journalists sponsored by the UP College of Mass Communication and Shell Exploration so we decided to make a trip out of it. After Baz's class which ended at 2 pm, we all drove to Tagaytay. Grandma and Gramps, as well as Auntie Ritchie and Grauntie Neny were there too.

For dinner, we went to The Boutique Bed & Breakfast along Aguinaldo Hi-way. It was a refreshing change from the usual hotel look and feel and lived up to its name. It felt like a smaller W. Hadrien loved the lounge/beds in the lobby and couldn't be dissuaded from lying on it (not even the mention of how many b_tts did you know what on it managed to gross him out of the bed).

Baz, on the other hand, discovered what it was like to have a twin. Auntie Ritchie captured those moments as well as what were probably Baz's thought bubbles here -


Actually, Baz had a twin! A dermoid cyst which had to be taken out when Baz was about 19 weeks in utero. An unsightly mass of muscle tissue, hair, teeth and bone which was all of 10", roughly the size of a large avocado. (Or was it my twin? Remember that line in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding?) Sorry, Baz, your twin is nowhere as cute as you.