Amber's Candyland Party

Okay, being an aunt had always, always been a dream of mine.
But being the eldest in our family, that dream seemed so far, until of course, Amber, my sister's daughter came.
I could swear she's a dream come true for me.
Not that my daughter ain't.
But having to dote on a baby without worrying about tantrums, and all the downs that come with him/her, that's the dream!
Also, I have always fantasized being called 'tita' ever since I was in high school. Haha.

So, I knew I'd love her since day 1.

Which is why her 1st birthday was no joke.
We did exert some effort there. Haha.

I was very much involved. :))

Exhibit A: Invitations
From the brainstorming, to production, I was involved. The distribution, yeah, that was the mother :))


Exhibit B: Balloons
These candy balloons sure are perfect for the theme.
And I really did have fun making them.

Exhibit C: Cupcakes My sisters and I baked a bunch of cupcakes for the party. :)

Exhibit D: Dress
My favorite :)

Exhibit E: Embellishment
I felt like that cupcake was a necessity :))

Exhibit F: Tarp
My forever duty, I guess :))

Another one of my favorites:
The Cake
An extravagant gift from My Favorite Cousin ;)

My niece wasn't just showered with candies, but also with LOVE.

Undas

I have come to love Undas!
Undas or All Souls Day, though often celebrated during All Saints Day, is pretty much a family reunion to me.

It is customary to visit our Dearly Departed's remains on that day.








Dinner before going home

Got myself a new job! :))

My Favorite Cousin's Bribe: Starbucks :)

A Grand Grandparents' Day!

Usually, we spend Grandparents' Day at home.
Our cousins, together with their parents, would arrive at home with take-out foods.
Yep, one of the many perks of living with the granny! :))
This time is different though.
It was indeed "Grandparents' Day".

Our Paternal Matriarch decided to visit her late husband, our lolo.
Sure that was unusual.
The cemetery is an approximately 2-hour drive; we only get to visit twice a year at most: All-Saints Day, and death anniversary, if time permits.
But yes, she decided to visit him and give us a treat :))

Just to be clear: That's not our lolo over there.
We just found that pseudo grave hilarious :))

And the treat?

Oh, boy! Isn't Buffet 101 really a treat!

This one gave me a mark, btw.
They now and always remember me as the one who puked.
Though I could swear I didn't.
We all just thought I was going to :))

Fairy Party

We got invited to a fairy party!
Need I say more? :))



Tutus make me crazy!
That's why I just had to make them tutu fairy costumes.

Since I have always wanted a pair of barefoot sandals for her,
I made her one! :)

Making their tutus and flower crowns definitely was a pleasure to me.
Sure that was HARD!
My fingers got sore, in fact.
But I just loved how they turned out, and how they were a big hit!

My daughter won The Best Costume Award, even.

Jorgen von Strangle was present, btw.

My daughter's pixie dust was all over the place,
I shone bright like a diamond. 

My fairy got sick.

Aquanauts, We Were!

Scuba diving had always been a dream of mine.
Exploring the life underwater sure is something to dream of, right?

Unfortunately though, that is not something I could just do.
Or so it seemed.

As a present for my 24th birthday, My Favorite Cousin bought us tickets to Manila Ocean Park's Aquanaut Voyage.
I know, I know, I'm so blessed.



Thanks to Manila Ocean Park, marine life encounter is now possible in the city.












Of course, nothing beats the real thing.
But this one sure is good enough.

It was a brief but definitely memorable and treasured experience.

They never fail to make me the happiest.