Making Sweet Memories at the Cemetery

As a kid, Halloween was a special event that I only read in books and saw in American TV shows. We did not dress up every Oct 31st. We did not go home with a jack-o-lantern pail full of treats. What I have are memories of Undas or All Saint Day. Unlike most families who visit their dead relatives in the cemetery in the afternoon of November 1, our family sleeps in the cemetery the day before. I don’t have memories of trick or treating but we’d go from plot to plot and collect melted candles which we later turn into  a big ball of candle wax. The bigger the better of course. Most of all, Undas to our family is the day when we get together.

Last November 1st, Aki got his first taste of Undas, the Nevalga Family way. This year is also Jyl and Rock’s first time to sleep in a cemetery. Hopefully, next year, we can sleep there too. We left our house before dawn. By 6:30AM, we were already in Calamba. I learned that my other pamangkins and cousins, had actually just got home a couple of hours before us. They had a grand time in the perya! Oh, my memories of getting scared as hell inside the horror train. Good times! I can’t wait to bring Aki to a perya.

It was a bright sunny day in panchong (cemetery)

This is how we roll. One side of our family musoleo is for the kids.

The other side is for the tanders. This is also were we eat and where we receive our guests.

Staple food every All Saints’ are suman, adobo and tapang Taal.

My only concern with our musoleo is that our location gets really hot midday even with the sliding windows, thick curtains and air cooler. Oh yes, the family musoleo really is like a mini-house. That is how my grandmother wanted it to be.

The boys were so at home in the cemetery that they even had siesta.

Meet my family.

This is my nephew Nico.  The last I saw him was 2 years ago.

Mama Elout. She is my dad’s sister. She is based in the US but goes home every year for Undas. In my paternal side of the family, we don’t use Lolo and Lola. We only use Mama and Papa.  Since Mama Ogie passed away, Mama Elout has been the matriarch of our family.

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Daily Reflection

I read this line in Women’s Journal. I wrote it down and posted the note in my workstation so I can reflect on it everyday.

Vet for a Day

Last weekend, Aki accidentally hurt a butterfly. I know it was an accident because he was only trying to show it the way out of our house. I told Aki that to show that he is really sorry, he needs to be a veterinary for a day. I asked him what sick animals need. He said they need food. I remembered from our trip to Lost Eden that butterflies like watermelon slices which we had in the ref.

We placed the injured butterfly on top of the watermelon cube and watched it feed. Aki sang for the butterfly and played sleepy music.

Playdate at the Fun Farm at Santa Elena

When we went to the Fun Farm last August, we went with friends. We were with the families of Faye of Chronicles of Maia, Rachel of Mommy Mama Rat and Erlaine of Glamma Momma. I think the reason why our pictures turned out so well is because we genuinely had great time at the Fun Farm. Going there is a such a relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of city living. How I wish there is a nearby farm here in Paranaque.

Some of the things that we did

Carabao Caritela ride. As you can see in the pictures, only the mommies enjoyed this part of the trip. Hehe. This is one of the first things we did together. The kids were still warming up to the place and to each other.

Horseback riding

Fishing. I so looked forward to this because Aki has not tried fishing before. All the little fishies were returned to the pond by the way.

Potluck lunch. We had peanut butter sandwishes, fresh fruits, barbeque and Spanish sardines pasta. I finally got to use the colorful plates, utensils, bowls and cups from Ikea. My tita got them on sale, 1 pound or 60 pesos for a pack of six items (bowls, plates and cups).

Boat ride in the mini pond.

Animal feeding. We fed the fish, ducks, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Indoor playground and sandbox.

Rope Crossing.

This is one of my absolute favorite shots of the day. I want to have a girl!

Meet Sticky

He is the newest member of Familia Kiki. On some days, Aki considers Sticky as his brother. Sometimes, he thinks it’s his pet. Pet or brother, he loves Sticky mouse to bits. Since we bought Sticky last month as Aki’s prize, the two have been inseperable.

This was their first night together. The block was the pillow and the sando was the blanket

Aki converted one of the attachment of his mask for nebulizing into a potty for sticky

Car Wash Sunday

Looking at these pictures made me realize that hubby and Aki’s special bonding moments often include water.

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Shot by Aki @ 37 months

If you are angry and you know it…

Clap your feet!

I have been teaching Aki how to deal with negative feelings. I learned this from the How to Talk so Kids will Listen book. Aside from naming the emotion, I have been teaching Aki what to do when he is feeling angry, sad and frustrated.

I know clapping of feet sounds and looks silly, but doing something seem to help. This is better than kicking, punching or screaming, right?

He also claps his hands fast and hard when he is really angry. This technique was his idea.

Last Day in Asian Hospital

Our last day! Yey! I took pictures every time nurses would go in our room because I wanted to document the announcement.  Imagine, every knock on our door got us really excited. The grand announcement did not come until 11AM

YESSSSAh!!!

Interestingly, Aki was not bothered that much by blood extractions but he absolutely hated having his dextrose removed.

Ayus!

Ayowz!!!!

Franco left the room immediately to process the payment. It took him two hours. Thanks to our employer and to our HMO, we only paid 3K out of the 60K bill.

sorry for posting this, be! this was a very important moment so it is a must to document it.

Fifth Day in Asian Hospital

It’s our 5th day in Asian.

Aki was feeling high the whole day

His skin was no longer dry but he developed bright red spots. The spots remind me of roseola.

We met a new doctor, Dr. Co. He is pedia-infectious disease specialist. He brought the wonderful news that Aki is negative for Kawasaki’s. Yey!! Doc said Aki has viral exanthem. I wanted to know exactly what virus hit my boy. Doc said it is impossible to know because there are over a thousand kinds of virus.