Patience

"Finished na! Finished na, na, na!"

That is Hadrien shouting to all the world and sundry that he was done with No. 2 on the throne. His yaya calls back "wait!" as she was doing something then.

"No, I won't wait!"

Then he runs out butt-naked with a triumphant smile on his face.

This is why for the rest of his school year, he needs to work on "Patience, Patterns and Focus" - with much emphasis on "patience".

Conversations with Baz & Hadrien (Part 12)

My boys are naturals at "panliligaw". They instinctively know how to butter you up which makes me think they're not off the mark when you compare their quips against those cliche pick-up lines.

Hadrien: Mommy, I love you up to the moon!

Baz: I love you higher than the moon. I love you all the way up to heaven and outer space.

Hadrien: I love you 1000 times!

Baz: I love you 1 billion times! I love you 1 trillion times!

Hadrien: I love you... uh.... 1 sillion hillion times!

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Last night, as I was about to go out to watch a movie with some friends, the boys tried to emotionally prevent me from leaving this way:

Baz: Mommy, don't leave.

Hadrien: Mommy, I need kisses until the morning.

I dread the day when the boys will stop showering us with the love, affection and almost-adoration we enjoy now. Argggh... I cannot bear to think of these lines being spoken to somebody else, no matter how pretty or smart or kind that girl might be. Right now, the boys proudly proclaim that they don't have any plans of marrying. But who could resist lines like these?

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And then there are those times when Baz surprises me with his adult-like spiels. Like this one time, when he was scolding me about a trip -

Baz: Mommy, don't you want to stay married? Why did you go on a trip without Daddy? Married people don't do that! (with an accusatory pointing finger to match)

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There are too many conversations that go unrecorded. Like the times I overhear the boys negotiating turns at a toy they each want to play with, or choosing their quota of 1 DVD per day (that rule gets bent more often now....). I need to do a better job at listening and remembering.

Envious

of my friend Eleonor's photos with her kids, I tinkered with some fave pics of my 3 boys. Here are 2 pictures I jazzed up :) Need to invest in a good lens (hint, hint!) In the meantime, I know where I'll be channeling extra time and energy during the next few days. If only I didn't have to access the back up drive for this...


This was taken at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Budapest.


Near the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.


Hadrien at the Schonbrunn Playground, Vienna

Wait A Minute Mr. Postman

Teacher Jojie sent me this hilarious video of the mokong during the class field trip to the post office. I just had to post immediately. Thanks, T. Jojie! Very much appreciated.



On the way home from the office, I was trying to get the kids to tell me what happened during the day.

M: Who went to Renaissance for swimming?

Baz raises his hand.

M: Who went to the post office?

Hadrien raises his hand.

M: Who sent Mommy a letter?

Hadrien raises his hand.

M: Aha! I know your secret!

Hadrien: But it's not a letter, it's a painting!

M: Aha!

Hadrien: But you don't know what it looks like! (with pride as if he won the argument)

1st Sem PTC's for SY 2009-2010

Can't believe we're past the half-way mark for this school year! The boys are breezing through the year, enjoying every day they're in school. Whenever I ask them how school was, they would say without thinking "FUN!" I believe this as they come out smiling, bursting with the need to narrate their activities for the day.

We had Baz's PTC yesterday and am proud to say that he's doing very well. Cautious Baz is taking more risks, participates in group and teacher-directed activities. Mighty pleased to say that he did VERY well in his reading tests! Not that I was surprised as I've been harping about his ability to read at an early age. And it's not just reading, but actually understanding and asking questions about materials he reads. He needs to work on opening up and engaging with friends more though.

Dubbed as the "little binata" of the Kinder Koala class, Hadrien did Mommy and Daddy proud too! Teachers find his ability to retain and repeat information he absorbs from everyday conversations and experiences remarkable. He did well in the literacy aspect and shows his love for books. Needless to say, he knows his ABC's and 123's. He just needs to work on sticking to his task, opening up, being more interested in writing and drawing.

Video Updates

Practicing for Tita Bel's Wedding March from malou.khan on Vimeo.

Cheers! from malou.khan on Vimeo.

Dubrovnik - Mokong Dancing from malou.khan on Vimeo.

And here's a blast from the past. Look at those cheeks! Classic Baz.

Crazy! from malou.khan on Vimeo.

Trick or Treatin' @ the Parc

Trick-or-treating comes early at our condo - October 17, to be exact. Thanks to their titas, we didn't have to scrounge around for costumes even if we were not prepared for the early halloween celebrations. After a long argument, some pushing and crying, and the stern warning (ok, threat) that they would not go trick-or-treating altogether if they didn't agree between themselves, Baz graciously gave way to Hadrien.

Baz was so cute in his Sponge Bob costume (c/o Tita Bel) with matching brown shorts, white socks and black shoes and an oh-so-cute expression on his face here.



Not to be outdone, Hadrien was in character as Batman. Notice how he tries to hide behind Sponge Baz in the first picture - a true stealthy dark night! Until he flashes his gigil smile that is pure Hadrien :)




I love you so much, my little boys! You both are growing up right before my eyes - not too fast though....