Turkey, gravy, yuuuummmm!!

     

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVEN THOUGH IT HAS PAST ALREADY!

  This year we weren't able to celebrate with family BUT we were able to celebrate with friends, the second best thing. We went over the Noyces, our wonderful friends who are so patient with, not only us, but our lovely rambunctious Oliver, and  our clingy and adorable, Madeline. We were fed very well by our friends. Kudos to Zack for a delicious meal. We contributed a little with desserts and a side dish. It was a very nice low-key evening, quite relaxing. And I wanted to make a pioneer hat for Oliver and a bonnet for Madeline which turned out kind of cute. I was hoping to make one for all of us, but I didn't have big enough paper for our adult heads. Overall Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful with great company.

    My post won't be complete until I express my gratitude to my Saviorn for all of the blessings He has given me (the list is endless but I just want to share some, in no particular order):

1. My life as a wife, a mom, a daughter and daughter-in-law, a sister, and friend
2. My Bung Bung and Mads!!! How can I not be grateful for my rascals. They keep me alive! 
3. The sun. I didn't realize how much I love the sun until it got gloomy and cold.
4. Games! 
5. Weston! He keeps me laughing even when I'm in a crazy pre-period time. I'm really lucky!
6. My in-laws for having Weston and loving me!
7. The smell of rain and wet trees
8. My heritage. It's pretty cool if I can say so myself.
9. My wonderful parents and crazy brothers.
10. A very cool sister!
11. Smiling and laughing! my favorite things to do even though Weston may say otherwise 'cause I'm a booger a lot of the times! jk jk
12. Friends
13. CHOCOLATE and any kind of desserts!

The list can go on and on, and I hope and pray that I will always be able to recognize His hand in my life and thank Him for it.

Trains, trains, and trains!

       Around the end of October Weston had a school retreat for his program and me and the wee ones got to tag along. Last year when we went we drove by a train museum but never got the chance to stop in, so this time around we just HAD to stop by. We had offered a ride to one of Weston's classmates so she wouldn't have to take a train in to the retreat, so she tagged along with us. It was very nice of her to be willing to make the stop with us. But it turned out it brought back a lot of childhood memories for her so she enjoyed it too!
    So when we got to the museum, Oliver was just bug-eyed at the monstrous trains. It was really cute watching him look around. Weston had a blast reading all the nifty facts and reading about the history of some of trains they had on display. It really was quite fascinating. The big trains didn't hold Oliver's attention for too long unfortunately, but the person at the front desk told us that we had to stop by a train room they had for kids, and so we did. The room was long and just lined with wooden train sets with Thomas the tank engine, remote controlled trains, a mini version of a steam engine that actually did move by steam, it wasn't just a model (it was really cool). As you can imagine Oliver could not get enough of it. If this was our only stop for the day we would have been there all day. All in all, the museum was great and we found out that every now and then Thomas the tank engine stops by. A life size Thomas that kids can ride on. That would be another dream come true for him, so we'll have to go again when he's there. Oh did I forget to tell you what the name of the museum is? It's the Strausburg Railroad museum.

Family Reunion!

        A few weekends ago the kids and I went to California for a short but sweet Dela Cruz family reunion. The siblings all arrived on the same day, one right after the other. First it was the stylish Michael, then me the mommy, and the sporty and new dad Mitch with his awesome wife, Valeria, and the almost cutest baby in the world (my babies are the cutest ~_^ lol). It was really fun that we landed one right after the other.

My parents picked us up and it was just a fun filled weekend. Ate a lot of Filipino food, of course. We all ate at Max's Filipino restaurant. Later we made some doughnuts and a s'more cookie bar. MMMMmmmm. Always a food fest when we go home. We also attended my cousin's wedding which was gorgeous, so we got to see even more family. I wish I had a picture of it because it was absolutely breathtaking. The reception was of course just as beautiful but once the party got started it got loud. Oliver and the two little babies were getting a little overwhelmed. Oliver kept running up to me asking me to cover his ears but I was holding/feeding Madeline so he went and found Uncle Mitch instead.

Our almost complete first family portrait. Thank you Russel and Joy for getting us together! It was a beautiful wedding!

Family was getting their party on but Oliver wasn't feelin' it.

        The only thing missing from this reunion was our most wonderful Weston Beck. Next time, we'll have everyone there. I just want to let whoever reads this to know how much I love my family and I can't imagine my life without them. It's just like food. I need them to survive. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! I just hope that moments like these will never be forgotten.

Oliverisms

Oliver, is the funniest, most loving, sweetest, pull-your-hair-out crazy boy you'll ever meet. I love HIM! So here are some of my favorite "isms" from my one and only Oliver.

When he gets frustrated and wants something his way he'll say whatever it is he wants at that moment then ends it with "that's the deeeaaallll"!

 Oliver loves to play with his toys so when we need to do something else like eat or go out he'll say "noooo, not yet. put on timer, few more minutes"

When I'm having a hard day and my patience is running a little low, he seems to be able to sense it so he'll call me "mmmaaaaammmm, mmaaaammmm...." then softly say "...i love you!" and then gives me a big hug. If that doesn't melt your heart, you have none, joke joke...except not really. 

Oliver has gotten the pooping down as well. It took us a while to get him want to sit down on his potty, but his basket of poopy toys helped a lot. So much so that he doesn't like to get off his potty. Let me just add that when he sits on his potty he wants to be naked. This is what he looked like one night on the potty which he now does more often.

 Oliver has moved up to the potty to an adapter seat onto the toilet. It has done wonders for our noses!
     2/4/12: We have, since this post, moved the potty back on to the floor so he can go pee pee by himself. There has been a few accidents but overall he has consistently been doing his business in the potty! GO OLIVER!! wahoo!
          

Fun Oliver phrases:
      - "that's the proooblleemm!"
      - "that's cool huh?"
2/4/2012
      - every morning rain or shine he will walk into our bedroom and say "it's a beautiful day!" he has been doing this for a few months now.
      - "that's not the truth" he doesn't really use it in the right context but its funny hearing him use it.
      -

 



There's more but I can't remember them right now so I'll add more when I do. ^_^

Mother of Two

      It's been a long time since I've posted and I like to attribute it to the fact that I have two kids; one that likes to run around a lot and another that seems to be strapped to my chest all the time, but in reality I've just been a little lazy.

      So let me just start off by saying that Oliver has been wonderful with his little sister, Madeline, and he absolutely adores her. He copies how we talk to her sometimes, so he'll say things like "hey sweetie" or "hey cutie" in an even higher pitched voice than mine. It's really cute. When other people hold her he lets them know that she is his sister. And in the mornings, if he's had a good night, he'll ask to hold her. And when we go for walks he makes sure that I don't leave her behind. Then of course there are times where he won't want to share his toys. You're probably thinking, she's only three months! she doesn't need toys. This is true but he considers teethers and baby rattles his toys that he doesn't really play with and I just feel bad that Madeline stares at blank walls all day. She needs something to look at. All in all though he's been wonderful. Madeline adores him back. She loves to watch him play and just stares at him with interest. And when Oliver talks to her she sometimes breaks out into the biggest little grin that is just to die for. However, if there is a meltdown to be had, its some serious business. They just feed off of each other (mostly Madeline). If Oliver starts crying she starts crying and if he doesn't calm down I can't seem to get her to calm down so it can get a little loud. Now this seldom happens. Oliver would have to be really tired and grumpy along with Madeline, otherwise Oliver is pretty tolerant of her cries.

          Being a mother of two is not so bad. I thought there would be bigger adjustments to be made but so far I have two hands for two kids so it's good and I have Weston! He's my knight in shining armor when I need a break. Love HIM! I will say though, since I'm not pumping anymore and she's just latching on its made things much easier. It was a lot harder taking care of two at the beginning with the pumping, being stuck in one spot and not being able to be as free as I would have liked, but that's okay because I survived ^_^ Life is Sweet! I will say this, although Oliver has gotten a little better at not doing this, but sometimes if he has a supposed bad dream he'll come in to our bed and sleep with us which would be fine except in the middle of the night when Madeline gets up to nurse I like to lay down so I can still rest and sometimes I fall asleep. So if you can imagine the four of us in our queen bed, it can get a little tight. And if you know how Oliver sleeps then you may even feel a little sorry for us. If he wasn't so cute I would say no. I'll have to get better at that. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is being a mommy of two isn't so bad. I love my family! Yay for forever families!

see what I mean!

Cowboy Boots

Yeehaw!  We went to Texas for the first time.  And what an adventure.  First thing I saw getting off the plane I saw a cowboy getting his boots shined.  That was a dream come true.  Texas is a very interesting place.  First of all the Alamo was pretty cool.  It really did seem like the Independence Hall of Texas.  I don't care much for Texas, but I felt a sort of awe for the people that died there and the cause they fought for.

And San Antonio had some really cool historical things about it.  I'm a sucker for historical markers; Michelle says I should just take a picture with her phone so I can read them all later instead of slowing us down when we're trying to go somewhere.  Good idea.  And the Riverwalk of San Antonio was really lovely.  We took a little boat tour down their Rio and had a great time.

While we were in Fredericksburg me and my sister Hilary were really wanting to get some cowboy books for our sons, figuring that without a doubt that would be the ultimate souvenir from the Land of the Cowboy.  But then, when we finally found a store with little kids' boots I realized I didn't feel much like paying $50 for cowboy boots.  There are a lot more useful things I could get my son for $50.  Oh well, Texas was fun.  Just glad I don't live there.  Haha.

Oliver, Madeline, and Monk

        Mother of two! I am a mother of two! Oliver and Madeline have been so much fun, despite the feelings of a milk factory life is great. Monk, Mr. Adrian Monk, has been my saving grace during the opening hours. He helps keep my sanity. And so my life currently revolves around these three lovely people and of course Weston too.
      Madeline has been growing well and now she smiles when I do baby talk with her. Melts my heart every time. She just has the cutest little face. Oliver thinks she's pretty cute too. Before he goes for his nap or bed he sometimes asks for her and wants to get kisses and hugs from her. I love my family! They're pretty great and I am so thankful that they are in my life.

7 lbs 7oz, 19.5 in and super CUTE!

Welcome to the World Miss Madeline Irene Beck!

This is your Mama speaking so you better listen up. I love you so much and I think that you are just the cutest little miss I have ever laid my eyes on. Now let me just say I won't hold my 10 hour labor against you (at least I'll do my best) because I wanted you here. But I do hope that you'll take my advice about boys because they can be confusing. And if you want to start wearing make up, well, I'm not the one to go to but I'll try to help and learn more about it. If you want to run around I can do that, I can run by your side and have some fun girl talk, that I know how to do. If you want me to do your hair, you'll need to be patient with me because I don't really do my own hair but lucky for you we have the internet with loads of fun information about hair styles and tutorials that go along with it. We can have fun! There are a lot of things that I know but a lot more things that I don't know but one thing I know for sure is I LOVE you and I promise I'll be here for you. I'll help guide you when you feel lost, I'll answer any questions you may have and if I don't know the answer we can find it together. And I love our Savior and through Him you and I can be together forever, along with Daddy and Oliver and any future siblings too of course. We are a family and I just want to thank you for joining us! Big hugs! Big Kisses!

Special thanks to the Noyces for watching Oliver while we were bringing Miss Madeline into the world and for the beautiful flowers. You guys are the best!

And to my wonderful parents who were willing to come out to help me get back on my feet and to keep me safe from myself. I am quite stubborn and strong willed at times so it was nice to have someone tell me to take it easy and to rest and sleep. I know, How crazy is that! I needed someone to tell me to sleep! I kept saying I was okay and that I felt great until I got a fever and didn't feel so great. Stubborn me. Good thing they were here to watch Oliver and help with little miss. Oliver will greatly miss his Lolo and Lola and so will we.

                                                           Thank you Lolo, Lola!

Atlantic City

       So its been a while since memorial day but I really wanted to post this fun day because we had a blast at the shore. We had great company, can you guess who, that's right our wonderful friends the Noyces. We took their car because its a little bit wider than ours and with a car seat in the back it makes for a very cramped space which wouldn't have been fun at all for anyone. The ride itself to Atlantic City was so much fun, jammin' to some awesome music and making fools of ourselves, Weston and I are really good at that. It's why we fit so well. Anyhoo we got there in good time and went to the beach and soaked in the nice cool water. It was freezing but I think the water helped my swelling feet for later in the day when we walked down the boardwalk. It's a very long boardwalk, miles and miles. And there's a pier with a mall on it! Gasp! I know so cool!
        Oliver and Weston of course had a blast and Zack was kind enough to go with them towards the ocean since I was a waddler at this point in the pregnancy, and it was just fun to soak. Zack and ShaNae also got Oliver some sand castle molds that Oliver wanted to just knock over. We had to keep telling him not to until we were finished. Then he graciously demolished it after our hard work. And we also buried Oliver. He was kind of oblivious to what ShaNae and I were doing cause we told him we were making him a chair, we were except reverse. Instead of making a mound and a back to the mound we dug a hole and added some sort of head rest so it was really easy to transition the chair to a burial (hehehe). He was okay at first then he got scared and wanted to get out but we were able to get a picture before he escaped.

    After all the fun we walked along the boardwalk and had some fun in some of the stores with interesting little knick knacks. And the boardwalk was a blast. Weston and I really enjoyed seeing some of the names from the monopoly board. I liked St. James Place the best.

This day was also very very hot. Guess where we stopped by to cool off. That's right...RITAS! Worlds best wudder ice. Thanks to the Noyces once again for introducing it to us. Weston really wanted cotton candy but he had to have root beer. He had hoped that I would get cotton candy but I didn't I got mango (sorry dear). Weston's current goal by the end of the summer is to get a Ritas cotton candy wudder ice.
                                       Overall it was a great day with friends and the family.

PS I didn't realize I was getting burned. Me being stubborn and thinking my asian skin can save me from the sun's rays I didn't put any sunscreen. Lo and behold, the following day my shoulders were a nice obvious red, and I did peel, eventually. Learned my lesson ^_^

Baby Shower!

      May 14th our one and only ShaNae held a baby shower for me and it was AWESOME! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures but let me tell you, it was CUTE! It was an animal themed party because she was trying to go for gender neutral for me. I'm not huge on girlie stuff (by the way, it's a girl) so it was great. There were animal stripped balloons which were adorable! Animal crackers, one of our staple snacks here at home! And some yummy food and cupcakes and cookies! There was also a three tiered diaper cake with some cute monkey ribbons around each tier and of course topped off with a stuffed monkey which we have named Ernest. Oliver likes Ernest a lot! I hope he'll be able to share Ernest when baby sister is born (we haven't decided on a name yet and she's almost here! YIKES! 9 months isn't long enough for us).
    We also had some great quality company at the shower. Some ladies from the ward were able to come that I don't get to talk to very often but they were so sweet and funny and wish they didn't live so "far" away. Since this is my second child I have most of the basic things except GIRL clothes, which terrify me. I don't know why. Perhaps two years of boy clothes with trucks, dinosaurs, monsters, or any other mode of transportation, is what appeals to me. This baby shower has introduced me to the world of baby girl clothes of ruffles, bloomers and bright pink tights-it's not so scary (for now...dun dun duuuunnnnn). All the clothes were absolutely adorable and I love each one. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! My daughter will be dressed very well. And THANK YOU ShaNae for the cute baby shower! She's awesome!

cookies

The oatmeal chocolate chip cookies were yummy!

Recent Happenings

    So I was looking through some pictures that we had taken recently and wanted to share. We went to a Japanese house out in Fairmount Park with the Noyces (our wonderful friends that found us our apartment) but I shan't talk about it because Weston wanted to do a post on it; he's got dibs on that one. All I will say is, it was exquisite and absolutely beautiful. The End.

       Mother's day was fun and relaxing. Weston had bought me some beautiful flowers that I got to proudly display on our dining table. I had fun taking pictures of it. Mid-afternoon we all went for a nice spring walk down our block. The trees were just so gorgeous with it over hanging the street we had to take the time to soak it in. We topped off our day with some games with the Noyces, which is always fun. It was a perfect day.

 

      We also finally planted some seeds into our small plot of land that we are now thinking of extending because it just looks so sad compared to all the other more experienced gardeners around us. The other day we went to check up on our seedlings and we can't really tell if they are sprouting or if its just weeds already taking over.  I don't think we were blessed with the green thumbs. Although the seeds that we started growing in a little pot at home have been growing so maybe our green thumbs just need a little bit of practice.

It's hard to tell but there a blue piece of yarn claiming our little plot of land. We hadn't planted anything yet at this point. It was a cold day. Can you tell?

   Not too long ago it was our friend Zack's birthday which we went to and played games and had some awesome sugar cookies. Oliver absolutely adores both Zack and ShaNae and loves it when we get to hang out with them. They are fun people! So glad they decided to accept us as their friends. We think they are too cool for us so we are grateful that they could accept us into their lives :P

Oliver likes to help ^_^

    Wow, those sugar cookies are calling to me but I don't make very good sugar cookies, so I'm going to make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies instead and continue part II later. Ciao!

Rainy Day

     This morning Oliver and I wanted to ride the apartment shuttle with Daddy since it would be the last time it would run till next fall, and Oliver just had a blast. Before our shuttle ride, Weston and I were trying to get ready to get out the door in time to make the shuttle. Though we were able to get breakfast into our bellies and get dressed in record time, for us at least, I forgot the stroller for Oliver and an umbrella and I forgot to put snacks into my bag to take with me. I'm sure you can imagine after dropping daddy off to his building it took a long time to get home ( we live on 47th and Pine and we got dropped off at 36th and Spruce, its a long walk, trust me) We did pretty good at first; played with some steps, balancing on some bricks that lined a plant bed, went to the bookstore and read some books. We even saw some awesome construction machinery that Oliver could have watched all day.      
       By this time Oliver was getting tired and our little jaunt was done within a two to three block range.  I just knew that I would be carrying him most of the way on our way home. We walked a little bit further and had it not rained I would have made him walk most of the way but we were getting wet and Oliver didn't particularly enjoy it and we were going extremely slow. So I carried him.  The rain wasn't too bad, but it was one of those steady trickles of rain that can still get you nice and wet after a long walk plus there was a cool breeze that made it seem cooler than it was. Luckily, I remembered Oliver's jacket so he was covered a little. Our journey home was tiring and Oliver seemed to be getting heavier and heavier and the rain made my shirt feel uncomfortable. I then passed an Indian lady and she told me that I needed to take care of Oliver or else he would get sick. By this point I had already decided to take a stop at a CVS pharmacy to buy an umbrella since it was on the way home. I told her I was going to stop at the store and she told me to take her umbrella to cover my little boy and she would walk with me there. I nearly cried. It was so nice. Her apartment complex was right next to CVS so when we got there she said that she would just give me her extra umbrella from home because the umbrellas were too expensive. Heavenly Father was really looking out for me today and I thank him for helping me and sending someone my way to help. I am grateful for that woman and her willingness to share her umbrella and to give me something that I didn't even ask for. I know it was a small thing but it was very kind and I thought that it would be nice to share.

     There are people out in the world with big hearts who are willing to help others and at times I admit, I forget that. Sometimes I get caught up with what's wrong with the world that I forget that there is still so much good. I'm grateful for the reminder and I hope that I can be one of those people that are willing to get out of their way to help someone in need.

ALMOST DONE!

      This is the picture I'm posting of my belly and me because I'm feeling quite self-conscious about my bloated face, and I like my profile in this picture. I know there's nothing all that great about it but I like it and it's the best I have, for now, maybe. Anyway, I just wanted to express my joy of almost being done with pregnancy with no complications-no bed rest! OH JOY!!! It has been a totally different experience with my baby girl and I have to say, I LOVE IT!! It's definitely nice to be able to walk around and be mobile. Though at times I wonder how I am even able to move with this belly growing, what it seems like, exponentially.
      Let me just tell you though, that being on bed rest with Oliver around this time, I didn't get to experience the frequent bathroom visits since I had a catheter in the hospital for a couple of weeks, which surprisingly, I wouldn't mind having during the night. It would be nice to sleep all through the night but, its worth being able to get up and not worry that the baby is going to drop out. Yay for different experiences!
      Well, it's late and I need to use the bathroom. Adieu!

       Good bye beautiful sunshine hello rain, rain, rain -_-  I guess the rain just feeds the beautiful trees outside our apartment so I think i'll survive AND the smell of the air after it rains its just divine. It smells so clean and fresh (for the most part...some people forget to pick up after their pets) and it reminds me of the Philippines.  Thunder and lightning is pretty cool too, as long as I don't get struck by it, lightning that is.
     Anyhow, this past week has been a blast. Met some cool new people through our awesome friends out here in Philly. We were only able to hang out a couple of times but it was a lot of fun. Weston and I and Oliver took advantage of his "free" week and got to spend a lot of time together. Oliver got a taste of what life is like with someone else other than mom and he's absolutely enjoyed it too. Weston wouldn't think so, but Oliver is just thrilled to have him. Just now actually, when he normally wants me to lay with him in bed until he falls asleep, he asked me to go out of the room and only wanted daddy to lay by him. And this past week when he wakes up in the early morning and comes to our room he prefers to lay by daddy. Normally he squishes himself so close to me I'm practically off the bed. I'm okay with him taking daddy's bed space ^_^  Oliver hasn't been the only one enjoying some daddy time, I have been so happy to have Weston home.
      I guess before prelims Weston wasn't gone a whole lot compared to other students in his program but for me it seemed like I hardly got to see him. This last week has been a delight for me and spending time with my best friend has been wonderful! We played a few games and I got to have conversations with him that lasted more than just a few minutes in between classes and lab time. We even went out and got some wooter ice a couple of times (Oliver loves water ice!) and he helped me do some laundry which is very nice considering it was at least two weeks worth if not more. We also went to Ridley Creek State Park, absolutely beautiful, for a bike ride. Oliver loves being on the bike and he was just so excited and I was able to balance on my bike just fine and had no trouble pedaling but I definitely was a lot more careful, I promise!

        I love the time I get to spend time with him even though I have horrible mood swings (me and pregnant hormones are no fun) that don't make it very pleasant but Weston is a trooper. He just smiles and/or laughs and tells me how much he loves me then hugs me tight. He's amazing! YaY for awesome decisions! I picked a good one and I'm glad I pursued it! He was playing hard to get. Definitely worth the trouble (it was no trouble, didn't take very long to convince him that I was the right one for him hehehe)... ^_~ Love You Weston!

Here we go

This blog is mainly for family to know what is going on with our lives and hopefully get some fun little adventures recorded somewhere. So here we go:

     Just yesterday Weston and I finally saw the ophthalmologist for Oliver's eyes. We had noticed that his right eye is a lazy eye. Every now and then it seems to try to focus but just moves toward the middle. When Oliver and I went to one of his routine appointments with his pediatrician they gave us a referral for CHOP. We had set an appointment about three months ago and what seemed like forever finally came...yesterday.
    When we got there Oliver loved the fun toys they had at the waiting room, especially the one with a driver's wheel with a bunch of fun little buttons and knobs to move around. When they called us in to see the doctor we had to pry him of the wheel. It was really quite cute. He loves his cars! When we got into our little room they did a bunch of little tests on him and he was GREAT! He just let the doctors do their thang and in some parts he wanted them to do it again so he could see through the cool gadgets. However, whenever there was a waiting time he would say, "Cars! Driving outside" and when we told him " just a little bit longer" he would pout! ^_^ Oh boy he makes me happy! It's just amazing to think back and see how much he has grown and to see him try to express his thoughts and feelings in a way, for the most part, that I can understand!
     At the end of all the prodding and fun gadgets and make believe space expeditions to the moon this is what Oliver's doctor came up with. Diagnosis: optic nerve hyperplasia as the underlying cause and the doctor is treating the accomodative esotropia and something else that I can't seem to remember. Treatment for the time being is eyeglasses. His doctor didn't think it would be to effective considering it would be a two year old wearing it but Oliver has been great. He picked it out, we gave the options and he picked which one he wanted, "all by himself".  I hope he won't need glasses forever but it won't be the worst thing that could happen to him plus he sure is super duper cute with it on.

Look at him rock these glasses...this kid is AWESOME!