O Sole Mio...Italy continued

I think if I smiled any wider my face would crack. It's always been a dream of mine to ride a gondola in Venice! Look mom, am on a gondola at the Grand Canal! This ain't Las Vegas, baby!

I call this, The Race of the Gondoliers. Photo taken in the Dorsoduro neighborhood of Venice around Rio Ca Foscari.

Sunset taken in our "taxi" on the Canale della Giudecca heading back to the Hilton Molino Stucky.

This is my favorite picture of Venice. A clear, moonlit night with the parked gondolas perfectly framing the full moon. I took this with my Canon SD800 IS on manual without flash. Taken at the gondola "taxi stand" in front of Ducale Palace, next to
St. Mark's Square. It was our last night :-(

Aerial photo of Venice, you can see the Maritime Station (where ferry's and cruise ships dock), the Ponte della Liberta where it terminates at the Venice train station and the island of Giudecca where our hotel was located on. Venezia mi piace moltissimo!!!! Arrivederci Venezia!

Time to Catch-Up! How we spent our Summer...

Jody and I went to Italy last June to visit some of my family in Milan and also to visit Venice by ourselves before the children started school in the fall. Here are some photos taken there. Due to Blogger quota restraints, I can't really post all of the photos here, but here are a few...These group photos were taken in our Milan hotel room (good thing it was a big room to accomodate my big family. LOL!)

L-R standing: Donald "Dodong" Baylen (Cousin Rovi's husband), Bryan, RoviJ, Romina, Argielyn and Virginia, Aunty Vita, Aunty Virgie, Bryan's GF, and Gilbert. Seated with me is Jherson (Rovi and Dodong's 1st baby) and seated with Uncle Mando is Jherome (Rovi's youngest)

Hubby and me taken in Como Lago

Taken in Venice, Italy

Me taking a break by the Rialto Bridge in Venice

(Post to be continued...)

Sherry's Birthday, etc.

We celebrated my sister Sherry's birthday a few days earlier than the 31st. She had plans to leave for the Nevada river resort of Laughlin for the 31st. These are a few of the photos taken at mom's house.

(L-R)Pop, me, mom (behind Aunty Liz Rulla and Josie), Suzie, Sherry, Joy, Valerie, Andrew, Philip and Maria. Notice Sherry's princess crown, it was lent to her by Josie as a bday present. Lent, not given. Ha!Ha!

Sherry with Angie and Josie who are more than eager to help blow out the candle, AGAIN.

Valerie and Philip

Philip and Maria gave me and hubby a night-off last Friday, June 8th. They took the girls out for pizza dinner and to watch the new animated movie, Surf's Up.

Hubby and I are particularly careful with whom we leave our children to. So we were ecstatic when Maria and Phil offered to watch the kids so we, too, can have a date :-) Maria and Phil are just great with our kids and the kids just adore them! So do we!

Ooops, I forgot!

I meant to post these photos when my cousin Rigo came to Los Angeles with his two children, Kahari and Penny, last Easter week.

I had a mommy moment and totally forgot. Ooops!

We took them to the girls' fave restaurant for dinner.

Rigo and Pop

Angie, Josie, Kahari and Penny

The girls were excited to bring their cousins to their favorite hang-out, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Ca.

Easter Sunday: Egg hunting with their Aunty Sherry. Taken at mom's backyard.

Easter dinner at mom's L-R: Joy, Sherry Jo, Rigo, me, mom, pop, Ms. Gloria Tabancura, Aunty Liz and Vanetta

Sunday Outing with the Family

I love the weekends just because it's the only time we have to be together as a family. Most of the time we stay closer to home but the coast has been blanketed by fog lately and I wanted to go someplace where the sun can break through the dreariness. We met-up with our friends, the Robinsons, at the old Farmer's Market in the Fairfax district. I couldn't believe Cal hasn't been there, he and I used to live so close by this old institution...so it was a good thing we went; something different for them and always fun for us. Jody, me and Calvin w/the little ones. Josie, Angie, Armand and baby Helen
My BFF Eva w/baby Helen (My God-daughter!)
The Grove hosted a Los Angeles Sister Cities cultural show. These girls were from Taiwan. See if you can spot a famous Arquette sitting in-front.
Me w/Josie (Angie was getting grumpy). They wanted to get back on the trolley again. But I was a tad bit tired by this time.

Our Mother's Day Celebration

We had such a lovely day today. My angels presented me with these beautiful long-stemmed, rainbow arranged roses (50 in all); cards with their personal messages (adorable!), and my gift certificate from hubby for a full day at the spa. So even though my babes can't make me breakfast-in-bed yet, they gave me more than I expected. The best present for the day was when Jody took the kids on errands so I can have the morning to do my crossword puzzle and just relax. And I have to say that all the showers of love, priceless! Josie and Angie wanted their photo taken with the roses
To dinner with the other moms---Lola Dora and G'ma
G'ma with Josie and Angie
Sherry Jo, Mom and Josie
Me(looking in dire need of a spa treatment) with my three hearts

Just as an aside, this restaurant that we went to is one of Jackie Chan's fave whenever he's in the South Bay/Torrance area. He's been known to covet one of the small banquet rooms in the back. The food is great here but, alas, Angie wasn't happy because she says it's not the one she REALLY likes to go to (her fave buffet down the street with the crabs and ice cream sundaes ). Oh well, can't ever make everyone happy....LOL! I hope everyone enjoyed their day today. As a mother now, Mother's Day is one holiday that I'm starting to appreciate more than ever.

Julius and Kaye Gaerlan

My cousin, Julius (son of Aunty Josie and Uncle Dan), recently immigrated to the US to join his bride, Kaye. We went to visit and enjoyed a leisurely lunch in Buena Park, CA. last Thursday, May 3rd.

Me, Julius, Sherry Jo and Papa

Kaye, Julius, Sherry Jo and Pop

Welcome to America, Julius!

De-Stressing in L.A.

Whenever I feel stressed out I drag the family out and tour around Los Angeles. There's much to do and see around town...and I've been stressing lately, so these were taken on our outing last Saturday the 28th.

Josie, Jody and Angie taken in-front of the La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park

Angie and Josie in-front of the water sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum

My three hearts

Window shopping at The American Girl doll shop at the Grove

This was taken yesterday when the girls and I went to the California Science Center by USC

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is mom's birthday but we celebrated it last Friday since she wanted to get out of town to celebrate (in the casinos, no less. Hehehe). Here are some photos taken at Buffet City in West Los Angeles and when it rained earlier in the day and the girls wanted to go out and splash around in the puddles.

Here they are enjoying the first rain of the year. We should all be so joyful when it rains (especially during a drought season).

(Standing) Pop, Mom, me, Angie and Jody (sitting) Sherry, Lola and (pouty) Josie

Our friends Cynthia and Alex
Joy Alexis and Alex

New Year

Wow, is it 2007 already?! Sorry, I've been away and have neglected posting any news on this blog. So this is my New Year's greeting to everyone, yes, we are still alive and kicking ---just a little busier than normal.

My mom, Lola, Pop, sister Jmom and her girls went to the Philippines for the Christmas holiday and when they came back they brought these vests for Josie and Angie. They're hand-woven by the natives of the Philippines' Mountain provinces (the Igorots of Benguet and Baguio) and my girls just adore them. It must be the primary/rainbow colors or just that they have a little Igorot in their blood and just have a natural affinity for the weave :-)

I can't wait when I can bring these two back to the Philippines to meet all of their relatives and see where I was born.

Yesterday was Lola's 85th birthday and we went to her favorite Chinese buffet where they serve these huge crab's legs (it's also the kids favorite, they love seafood). We came back to the house for cake and coffee after dinner.

Doesn't Lola look great?! We're so thankful that she's still healthy and can keep up with the girls' rough-housing.

She's doing better than some people her age. Hallelujah!

HAPPY 85TH BIRTHDAY, LOLA!!!!