Eurotrip!

We've been sooo busy the past 6 months that we decided -- the heck with it, it's time for a break! So we packed our bags, jumped on a plane and spent three glorious weeks in Europe! Ninang Daphne joined us on our wild ride through Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain and France. Click on the link below to view our photobook and journal of our adventures in Europe:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronanddawne/collections/

5 years...

Below is the cover of the 5th anniversary photo book I made for the hubby. Click on it to see the entire album!

Summer with Uncle Rani

Uncle Rani spent a good chunk of his summer vacation with us, and Dylan had a blast having a "big kid" to play with all summer long! During the week, he helped Uncle Rani do chores around the house, then on the weekend, he took Uncle Rani to all his favorite places -- the park, the aquarium, the city, and of course, the beach!

Here's a video of the two kids hanging out at Santa Cruz Beach. The water was shallow but cold, but that didn't stop the little guy from going for it -- that is, with Uncle Rani by his side the whole time!

photos from Dylan's summer with Uncle Rani

Look, Zaki, fish!

On a sunny Sunday in August, we decided to take the kids on a field trip to the California Academy of Sciences. They enjoyed running after butterflies in the rainforest exhibit, watching the penguins eat and play, and petting some lizards at the reptile show and tell.


The best part of the day, though, was spending time at the Steinhart Aquarium admiring the colorful Philippine coral reef exhibit. Dylan was so excited and was running around the aquarium yelling out to his buddy, "Look, Zaki, fish! Fish!". What a fun day for the two best buds!

photos from our field trip to Cal Academy of Sciences

A Day at Gilroy Gardens

What summer would be complete without a trip to the amusement park? Dylan gathered his best buddies, Pearl, Jordan and Zaki, and drove to Gilroy Gardens to enjoy all the rides and events all afternoon long!

photos from our visit to Gilroy Gardens - August 2009

Vacation in Toronto

For the July 4th holidays, we flew out to Toronto for a week to spend time with family and friends. We had a very hectic week filled with parties, lakwatsa and fun! Dylan enjoyed spending quality time with his lolos and lolas, titos and titas, cousins and buddies!

The highlight of the week was visiting the African Lion Safari near Niagara Falls. Dylan went on a safari tour around the animal reserve, where he saw lions, baboons, giraffes, ostriches, deer and so many more! To top the day off, he got to see the elephant show and even got to ride on one! Click on the links and videos below and see how much fun the little rascal had in T.O.!

photos from Dylan's Toronto vacation

videos from Dylan's Toronto vacation

A Pleasant Surprise!

I had been wondering why I was feeling a little off lately. My balance was a little off, my appetite was a little off, my energy was a little off... That could probably only mean one thing... SURPRISE! Dylan is going to be a big brother soon!

Luau Party, but we didn't get the memo!

So we went to a Luau-themed wedding reception, except we couldn't find the wedding invitation and didn't know that it was a luau party. Here we were, the three stooges -- the only ones dressed in formal attire while everyone were in their bermuda shirts and floral dresses. Sorry, we didn't get the memo!

CSA Forever!

Mila (nee La Torre) and John Gutierrez were in town, so we gathered some Augustinians in the Bay Area to take them out in the town. We reminisced stories of high school (and even grade school!), and of course, the premonition I had way back when we were in Grade 4 that these two would end up togethere (despite them being frenemies at the time). Never thought I had a third eye (or a natural matchmaking instinct!)

Mother's Day - the saga!

Daddy is an aspiring movie producer! Here's a 5-part video series of Dylan's Mother's Day for surprise for Mommy...

Reality TV Junkie!

Look who's into 'Dancing with the Stars'! Here's Dylan scoring the dancers on the show. A reality TV critic in the making!

The Aquarium - Rex Navarete Style!

Daddy's a big fan of Rex Navarete, so he took Dylan to his version of the "aquarium" at Ranch 99! Oh, Daddy -- why did they cut the head of that fish?!!