Find Your Happiness

Nathaniel and I usually go to lunch after picking him up from school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I let Nathaniel choose where to eat and a couple weeks ago, he wanted waffles and "hot coffee" (hot chocolate) (Hop on over to this Instagram photo to see  his enthusiasm  to the whipped cream!) I really treasure this one on one moment with him because I know teenager-Nathaniel will probably not want to be seen with his Mommy in public.

Yesterday was Hubby's golden birthday. We began celebrating his birthday last week in Disney  and finally concluded last night with the dinner of his choice (my World Class Lasagna--not bragging; that's really the name of the recipe :) and this very rich and oh so decadent Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. I'm not a big fan of peanut butter (Hubby loves it) and I still enjoyed it. It tastes delicious and mouth watering as it looks. It was also supposed to be a three layer cake and if you follow me on Instagram , then you know what happened ;) Recipe found here: Smitten Kitchen . And because Dean never told me what he wanted for his birthday, I just surprised him with this Edible Arrangement. Every time we see its commercial on TV, he always comments about how awesome it will be to receive one. I'm posting an Instagram photo of it because the boys dug in (and ate a fourth of it!) by the time I grabbed my DSLR. I was worried when I first saw how humongous it was (I bou...

Nathaniel was very devastated he could not ride this particular coaster in Disney's Animal Kingdom with his Dada. The height requirement was 48 inches (almost a foot taller than Nathaniel) even though the ride wasn't intense at all. According to Hubby, there were quite a few rapid turns so I'm guessing the height requirement is due to little ones not having very good neck control, which could cause injury. When we go back to Disney, we may wait until Nathaniel is taller. There were so many rides he was unable to go to because of his height. We definitely have a thrill seeker in our hands, which I'm sure he inherited from my husband and not me! I am so happy his Lola was with us because she comforted (and bribed!) Nathaniel while I captured this memory. That's definitely one of my recommendations: asks grandparents to take this trip with you! Spending time with my Mom was awesome and it was a major plus having extra eyes and hands to keep up with an ener...

We just got back from our tooootally sweet (as Crush from Finding Nemo would say) and awesome Disney World vacation. I am honestly very sad (to the point of crying!) that it had to end. It doesn't help that my Mom joined us and we are missing her terribly today. She flew from Indiana and met us in Orlando. One of the many reasons for our Disney trip is to celebrate Hubby's golden birthday (his actual birthday is this coming Wednesday). This was taken on our first official day in Disney ( Magic Kingdom ) during our lunch in The Crystal Palace . Notice the Mickey confetti on the table? How festive! Do you want to guess how many photos I took? I haven't decided yet how to share them (i.e. per story, per day, per event, etc.). So I think I should just warn you that you may be sick with my Disney photos as I share them within the next few days/weeks!

50  Nathaniel is off from school because of President's Day so he joined Hubby and I on our weekly brunch date. 51  I was cancelled at work so I cooked homemade hot chocolate and homemade whipped cream with the little guy. Wishing desperately it was made by my Lola (grandma) instead with the cocoa grown in her backyard. 52  Sidewalk chalk art at Nathaniel's school 53  This precious boy asked if he could sleep in my bed tonight and when I said yes, he grabbed Mr. Calimlim (his Black Bear) and headed to my bedroom. Nathaniel is too adorable sometimes. 54  Screaming while going down the slide at the new indoor inflatable jump place less than a mile from our house. 55  Mentos and soda experiment with our Filipino friends' children. 56  Animals, especially cats, just love my husband. The vet's mascot wanted lovings from Dean as he fills out paperwork.

To say Nathaniel loves our dog Riley would be an understatement. He calls her his "rescue dog" and we still have yet to figure out why. I worry sometimes that Nathaniel may be irritating the dog but I have learned that if Riley has had enough, she will find a place to hide and rest. I remember being so worried sick when we first took Nathaniel home from the hospital. Riley has never been around little babies before and now there's this cooing and crying human being around. But she has really adjusted well and is such a great companion to our son. These two are pretty much inseparable at home.

(Lunch with my firstborn) When I had our first miscarriage in July, I knew I wanted to celebrate Elijah Damaris ' brief life on earth by celebrating it on the due date. And then when we lost another one ( Ruth James ), I became even more determined to celebrate and remember  these little ones on that specific day. Well, today is that day. Today was supposed to be our second child's birth day. Flower, gleam and glow Let your power shine I wanted today to be a happy celebration. Joyous at the thought that we have, not just one, but two little angels waiting to meet us in heaven. And I knew that I would have a moment of sadness. But I didn't expect to feel just and only  that. Make the clock reverse Bring back what once was mine I cried two days ago when Nathaniel pointed at a snoozing little baby in a stroller and said he wanted one. I cried at the grocery store as I buy the ingredients for tonight's "special" dinner. I cried yeste...

43  Lunch at Earth Fare. Beautiful lighting . 44  The Easter Bunny was going to bring this "fire nation" rain coat to Nathaniel but it has been raining for the past few days so I finally let him wear it to school. His boots (from the EB last year) barely fits now but Hubby isn't so keen about letting me buy $75 Hunter wellies boots . But in all seriousness, I am trying to live vicariously through our son because what I really want is this . 45  Valentine's Day gifts. His: Sperrys. Hers: Minnetonka moccasins. 46  I have trouble paying for hummus unless it's from an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant. Because otherwise, it doesn't tastes great and is usually very overpriced. The tahini I used to make this is not as roasted, therefore the taste is not as strong as I prefer. These are the times I miss living in California where so many varieties of oriental ingredients are easily accessible. 47  Oh, these two. Man's best friend for sure. Nathaniel ...

I had trouble falling asleep one evening and the dog whining in the laundry room didn't help---she was thirsty and wanted out. So while waiting for Riley to finish drinking water, I thought I'd check on Nathaniel and give him one last kiss. It was almost midnight at this point and about three hours since I put him to bed. Turns out, while I was tossing and turning, Nathaniel had moved to the living room and fell asleep on the couch. He brought Mr. Calimlim (teddy bear) with him and even managed to hold on tight to his glow stick. I couldn't just leave him there and his sometimes-babyish, sometimes-boyish chubby cheeks tugged my heartstrings. So instead of putting him back to his room, I just scooped him up and brought him to bed with me. And while snuggling him, sweet sleep finally came to me.

This past Saturday, we attended Aiden's 3rd birthday party and it was Dr. Seuss theme. It worked out perfectly since it even landed on Dr. Seuss' actual birthday! I wish picked up my camera before we all attacked the food because it was so cute and clever. Hannah (and her mom) did a great job with the party. In other note, I am into grain and noise recently, which explains the look of the photos here. I know some will think these are not taken with the proper exposure but I bumped up the ISO (3200) and then edited them to look this way on purpose. I just think the noise and grain add a nostalgic story.