Livin high and takin it easy

Our party planner, Cinco de Mayo Events, booked this photo booth supplier for us. It was just our luck that Funshots Booth was having a promo for April to June 2010 bookings, that we got our 3-hr photo booth for only P6,000 instead of the regular rate of P8,000.

I would like to extend my most heartfelt thanks to my U.P. Rep family who sponsored this photo booth and made this [dream] possible. Thanks so much! The best gift you guys could have ever given! (Love you guysts!)

Ryan, Angku and Lia

Beryl, Alliana, Asi and Adi

My sister Jasmin and her son, Sean

Abet, Hasmin and Euan

More

49th Floor (Roof Deck) One San Miguel Avenue Building
San Miguel Avenue cor. Shaw Boulevard
Ortigas Center, Pasig

This was mainly organized by Cinco de Mayo Events, who took care of talking to the caterers, cupcakes and cake supplier and the photo booth supplier.

Events handling: Cinco de Mayo Events
**(view related blog entry here)

Caterer: Baby Nathan’s Kitchen
**(view related blog entry here)

Photo booth: Funshots Booth
**(view related blog entry here)

Photo documentation: Cheekay Torres and other friends

The cake, cupcakes and decors as well as face painting and ice cream cart were also handled by Fats Roxas of Cinco de Mayo Events.

I have been dying to post these photos, as well as videos, but I have not had the time. I have been really busy coping with changes with work as well as Lia’s really fast development(!), not to mention getting used to my new Mac, so I have not had a lot of time to sort photos or post them.

I have yet to post the photos from last month. To tell the truth, I have yet to find the time to organize my folders and files in this Mac, and all of my files from my old laptop are still in my Western Digital portable hard disk. If (God forbid!) I lose that hard disk, I lose everything I have ever had.

These photos were taken March 19th, one Friday afternoon when we had our usual walk up and down the street. This time though, instead of hanging out with 16-month old Javi, Lia got to meet the older neighborhood clique.

Let me clarify that I did not take these photos. One of the girls was always holding the camera. Yup, they took turns. I just insisted that they wound the strap around their wrists at all times, just as a precaution for when and if they drop the camera.

They said, “Oh what a cute baby! Let’s make her sit on the sofa!” and then later on, “Let’s give her this baby to hold!”

Lia is normally a bully with all the other babies she thinks are her age, like 16-month old Javier and almost-two Gino and even three-year old Otep; but she went along with everything these girls said and made her do.

This had me saying, “Oh my, my baby has a baby!”

Of course they wanted to take photos of themselves. Lia didn’t mind being literally squeezed in the middle. In fact, I think she was still game for this photo op.

And one of them said, “Let’s all hold her! I’m gonna put her on my lap!”

I told them after about thirty minutes that we were going home, but they followed us to our gate and still took turns carrying Lia. I told them she is heavy but they didn’t seem to mind.

I do believe I’ve got a tolerant baby girl.. Either that or this expression was a silent plea for help.

I loved watching these kids at play. I love watching Lia interact with other kids. That’s also one of the reasons why I am very much looking forward to her birthday party where she will get to meet other and hopefully a lot more kids. I’m just hoping this party won’t be as stressful as I think it’s going to be, hah-hah-hah!

Weekend after weekend of nothing but heavy pouring rain, we finally made our way to Quiapo. We thought about getting the lens from some place else except that Ryan really wanted me to be able to go to Quiapo. Why?

So I could..

…go crazy over the ukay-ukay stores
…buy fruits-all-I-can at ridiculously cheap prices (a kilo of lanzones for P80 which is the same price as that in Camiguin, a kilo of mangosteen at P100 which is cheaper than in Davao, a kilo of deliciously huge mangoes that might as well have been from Guimaras at P50)
…ogle hangers at P25 a dozen (yes I have an obsession with hangers)
…buy cheap sheets and slippers
…hoard baby wipes
…buy hot hopia, smoked fish and broccoli

Oh right, those were not really the reasons why we made our way there though they might as well have been.

So I finally got my 50mm 1.8 lens. And here are the test shots:

Lia as unwilling subject.. grainy.. grainy...

Ok, so the first test shot was grainy, grainy, grainy. Was disappointed with myself there.

Click, click, click away. This was so far the best shot.

Pretty pretty

Quite proud of myself here. No, not because the shot is pretty good but because I made such a pretty baby. Hah-hah-hah-hah! (Kung Fu laugh there)

Since I’m done with the baby or more like the baby is done with me, move on to the other [furry] baby who was told to give her best and apparently she considers this as her best.

Is my best not good enough?

After being told repeatedly that her best was not good enough, she upped and walked away. What a snob.

Not to be easily discouraged, I haunt her and coax her into giving more than her best.

This is my bestest ever

And more than her best is sticking out her tongue. Well, I say it’s good enough. She looks like she has gone to doggy heaven – which is what I actually hope for her in the long run. Hah-hah-hah-hah! (Another Kung Fu laugh)

Done with the babies in the house, I moved on to more interesting things such as…

The banister of the spiral staircase

And of course, if you know me, you should have expected this from me already. Hah-hah-hah-hah! (More Kung Fu laugh)

Obsession with lamps

I love the fact that she has her hands together in this photo – only because I remember that when she first learned how to put them together, she would look at them, absorbed for hours.

Why so serious?

Lia wearing her (Mama’s) favorite onesie – the one with boats, whales, crabs and the likes. Sea theme! Sitting on the stroller she likes so much.

Green on a Saturday morning.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Please remember to click on the photos for some important text!

No she isn’t really watching TV. I may come off as an irresponsible parent half the time but I do not make the baby watch tv. She’s just funny here.  I just made her sit there, so like the overzealous parent that I am, I can document her first unassisted sitting experience. Or is that another irresponsible parenting thing to do? She just turned two months after all.

And here she is, obligingly posing for the camera with a smile. As if to say, “Now go print that picture and post it in that baby scrapbook you always say you’re gonna make but never do.”

I remember when Cheekay and Joan went to our house in Pili while I was there visiting my parents last May 20-June 6. Cheekay was playing with Lia who was then unresponsive. She said, “It will be so much more fun when she reaches three months. When she reacts and smiles and squeals and giggles.” Well, here she is.