Holiday Updates and IG Love

Over two weeks to our holiday and I’m feeling great! The first week was an adjustment period especially for the kids — with the weather, the time zone, the food and our routine.  The second week, the kids and I are having the time of our lives just being with family and for my kids, with their new friends!  Oh, I wish I can freeze time so we can all stay here for a wee bit longer.

We have a few out of town trips and meet-up with friends lined up after Christmas.  So, as soon as the hubs get here next Friday (weee!) our schedule will be full to the brim.

I can’t thank the Lord enough for this chance to take a break and to catch-up with family and friends. Being with the people who mean to us the most is the best way to end the year and usher the new year.

So, in light of this latest and greatest update, I will be posting weekly photos that I took or process using Instagram (IG).  I am so inspired by my new blog find, FindingNana.com that through her beautiful IG photos, I realized I’m not maximizing this wonderful app on my iphone!

Here are the kids during our Singapore stopover.  Even if the Singapore Airline (SQ) flight adds 3 more hours to the usual 8 hrs, going from Sydney to Manila, the excellent service we get more than makes up for it.  We’ve had bad experiences flying via Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Qantas with the kids.

It helps that Changi aiport is a huge mall/indoor park in itself! The kids were so entertained with the Koi fish pond.

We have a mental checklist of the places we’d like to visit and food we’d like to taste again.  We visited Shakey’s and Savoury in Cavite (but unfortunately no photos!).  In this photo, we stopped by Red Ribbon to get mamon (cake) and chicken empanada (chicken turnover).

My parents-in-law and I decided to bring the kids to a charity show for kids hosted by Nickelodeon.  The requirement was to bring toys that will be donated to the children of Gawad Kalinga.  So before going to the show, we bought toys at this shop in Filinvest.  While I was busy going through the shelves, my son quickly picked up a balloon ball and played soccer in the small open space.  Lucky the staff at the store didn’t bother asking him to stop although he hit a couple of boxes (and customers!) a few times.  Ha!

Lunch at Max’ Restaurant at Filinvest.  The place was so crowded, I had to yell out for service!  Spring chicken, check!

My daughter while at the Nickelodeon show.  As expected, the venue was packed.  We had to leave early though to make it to the light show at the Ayala Triangle.

These days, it is very rare that I get to have my eldest pose for me.  She often makes funny faces or frowns whenever I aim my camera.  I wish lighting was better though.  I like her very natural pose.