What have we been doing?

We have been busy the past year. I really intended to create posts of what we were doing for memory purposes but often times I was already too tired to organise our photos, let alone write posts about them. I know I had not been very good with time management on this front as I'd rather sleep a little longer or play with the little man. But this year is different, because Kimi is in childcare centre almost full time now for Kindy, which is only 2 houses away. I will save a bit of time for myself after work or before bed. Yehey!

Here are some of the highlights of our 2011:

Beat the heat!

We watched the Australian Open and Che had the opportunity to have his Aus Open hat signed by Novak Djokovic after winning against Almagro. Lucky that he also won the grand slam and became World # 1! More photos here.

Sleeping kiddo

Dancing the night away



In June, we attended the wedding of my husband's cousin in Sydney. Kimi slept during the ceremonies but had lots of energy for dancing during the party. It was a fun-filled wedding. More photos here.

Kimi and I also experienced our first snow. Oh, Kimi loved it so much that he wanted to learn to ski next time. We were joined by friends, whose family is helping them with taking care of the new mom and the newborn baby. More photos here.

With the Lord Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong

In August, I took my oath as a new citizen of Australia. We celebrated it not just once but 3 times! We had dinner at home with friends, watched a Geelong Cats game at the President's luncheon (what better way to see an AFL game live for the first time?), and indulged ourselves to the 6 course tasting menu of Baveras at the Cunningham Pier (excellent food and service). I still have to try the infamous vegemite, though, to fully embrace Australian life. May be I will do that before I apply for an Australian passport. More photos here.

We drove to Sydney for the first time by ourselves. Yes, just the three of us this time. We visited family and 2 new babies. On the way back, we visited Kimi's god mother and her newborn twin sons in Canberra. We also met with friends from Geelong to see the Floriade, the Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, and Cockington Green Gardens. Although we only had limited time, we still had so much fun. Note: This trip only proved to us that Kimi is an excellent travel companion. He didn't have any new electronic gadgets to entertain him apart from a good old digital camera from 6 years ago. He slept, sang, read, asked questions about the things he saw, shared stories, and laughed during the 12 hour travel. More photos here.

In December, we went on a "driving holiday" for 6 days on the way to Sydney for Christmas. But, I will reserve it for another post. The details are still fresh my memory.

I also started studying a diploma course in Management offered at work. Although I can opt for a recognition of prior learning to finish it sooner, I decided not to do it because my intention is to learn more about the organization and immerse myself with the local education system (this is distance learning with only a few workshops though). I still have 1 more essay assignment to do for the current module and 5 more subjects before I can finish the course. That is still a lot of juggling in the next 1.5 years. Time flies fast though so I'm sure I will finish it without even realising it.

Cheers to 2012! I look forward to an even more exciting one.

The busy baby turned 2!

We have not been home since I migrated to Australia and our family in the Philippines has only seen Kimi through photos and videos so we decided to visit and have an advance 2nd birthday celebration for Kimi. I was not intending to have a big 2nd birthday party. But since it will not be a usual case for him to celebrate it in the Philippines, I asked my siblings to arrange one for him. I was initially undecided on the party theme. I was looking at several venues - swimming pools, play centres, eat all you can restaurants and fastfood chains. A friend suggested Jollibee. The mere suggestion sparked good memories at Jollibee and I wanted Kimi to experience it as well.

I looked for Jollibee's youtube videos and showed them to him. Kimi liked him instantly especially his dance! Actually, I wasn't surprised. On the day, Kimi couldn't take his eyes off Jollibee. He showered him with lots of hugs and kisses as if he had known him for ages. His joy was priceless. Worth every penny paid. The host was great, the crew were pleasant, and Jollibee was really fantastic with his dance, making the kids and the kids at heart enjoy and strutt. Talagang at home sa Jollibee.

more photos here

To our family and close friends, thank you for celebrating with us. It was great catching up even for a limited time.

To God, thank you for giving Kimi to us and for always guiding and blessing our little family. You are our lucky charm in our journey downunder.

To Kimi, we still have a lot of fun things to do. Tatay and I are just grateful that we can now hug you everyday and marvel at the rate you're growing. Always be happy 'beesy' baby!

PS: Thanks to our friends - Jay Perth Llave, Diana Dig, and Jordee Queddeng for the photos. Sa uulitin!

Plums Anyone?

Before we head to Sydney for the Christmas holiday, we attended a Filipino Christmas get together in Grovedale. We learned from Auntie Mary that Uncle Lawrence is inviting us to harvest some plums. These are real plums -- not the ones from Farm Town or Farmville. We did not think twice. Straightaway, we drove to their farm in Barrabool Hills with a few friends.







Che enjoyed climbing the tree, picking the plums and eating the best ones of his harvest.

Kimi ran after the free-range chickens for the first time. He was over the moon with excitement and his laughter was contagious.

This is way better than FarmVille!

NB: Thanks to Maricon and Efren for the photos.

Christmas Train Express

We were surprised to see a package sitting outside our door. It was for Kimi from Nonno and Nonna!

When we opened it, Kimi was so happy to see a train. It was a Christmas train express big enough to occupy our entire living room. We quickly bought a nice Christmas tree and colourful decors to complement the Christmas train.

Within a week, Che, Kimi and I were able to buy everything we need. We stayed up late to finish decorating and see the lights and train at work. If you notice, there was no ornament at the bottom. It was part of child-proofing the house. The glittery things can easily be swallowed by a very mobile toddler. We still need more Christmas tree ornaments though. I plan to add a couple of really beautiful ones each year as a Christmas tradition. And note, buy extra ornaments nearer to Christmas as the prices are heavily discounted as what I have observed.

Easter Celebration

This is quite a late post. But, it is better than never I reckon.

The long weekend for Easter celebration gave me an opportunity to play with Kimi much longer than usual since Australia celebrates Easter Monday, making a 4-day long weekend. Aside from attending the Filipino mass during Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday and dining out with the entire family on Easter Synday, we were not able to get out of the house much since Kimi got sick and it was drizzling.



In one of our plays, Kimi pretended to be a mail man. He was walking around with a shopping bag across his shoulder and showing off to everyone. He loved it that he even stared at himself on the mirror. But, he looked more like a little shaolin than a mailman. Would you agree?



On Easter Sunday after mass, the entire family dined out at Five O. While I was ordering, Kimi walked around trying to get the attention of the girls on the next table. He was successful enough that the girls said hello and asked for high-five. After about 15 minutes of waiting and laughing at Kimi, we were alerted to get our order at the counter. 'Twas the cheapest yummy steak, lasagna, and potato wedges with chilli sauce and sour cream that we had -- in short value for your money. Kimi just so loved his wedges without the skin.

Before going to bed, Kimi still had time to open his Easter gifts. He just enjoyed tearing the wrapper and smiling at the camera. He also tried to put on his bunny ears from Ninang E. Isn't he cute?



Next year, we will bring Kimi to an Easter egg hunt or probably have our own egg hunt with friend's kids.