Under The Weather

It's inevitable that as soon as you hear others coughing, sniffling, and sneezing, you think you're next. It all started when Sage caught up with colds last week. Monday night didn't help him when he begged to stay a little longer in the tub and the very same night, Sage coughed his way up to bed. Poor little child and who knows where he got it from. It could be coming from anything, but the only thing I could think of right now is him being so friendly with our puppy, Blitzen. He likes to share his toys with the puppy and as a toddler, he puts everything in his mouth. Being the only person with Sage all day, everyday, it is possible that I've gotten the colds from him.

It's not the worst thing but it's not the good thing either to be sick like this. It restricted me from doing anything, especially Black Friday shopping this year. Of all things, shopping is one the best things I love to do on earth and it felt really different to not being able to do it, especially good deals were out there for grabs. But I came to think of it that I don't need anything. My husband told me that I bought things for myself that three people could use, that I don't even used them at all. And you know what, he was right. And when he said that, It helped me a little better feeling sad about not able to shop on Black Friday.

Nonetheless, I was able to put up our christmas tree on Thanksgiving night, despite of the condition I am in these days. A huge "thank you" goes to my parents for keeping Sage for us. It's the best time to do something like this without our 2 year old son in the house. Someday, he can help momma setting up the tree and I'm sure he would love it. I took few shots of our christmas ornaments. These are old, same ones we used last year. Enjoy!

Lights Up for Christmas

Christmas 2007 - Duerr Residence, Most Traditional

Giving and receiving gifts are the most wonderful things on earth during the christmas season. But the most I love are the christmas lights. Last year, we were one of the few who were given awards by the homeowners club for dressing up our lawn. Nothing says Christmas like a house all aglow in white mini lights, that's why we decided to light up the whole house last year... It really made me feel good just by looking at the lights...We got home one night and saw a sign on the front yard that said " Most Traditional." Having given the award, felt really great and rewarding considering that people recognized the effort, time and not to mention the money we invested on christmas decorations. For our house, It took 3 full days to have the house completely dressed with white lights. It was all worth it... In a few weeks from now, we will have the wonder of lights workin' up again for this year's holiday season. But all that will be done after an electrician will come and check few of our outlets that needed to be changed. Last year, we have hundreds of lights working around the house that some of our outlets are now unfunctional. The circuit breaker needs to be checked or we might have to get a new one this time because I just bought more lights and more outdoor decorations today... I can't believe I just did, I don't even have anymore space in the storage that we were renting for almost two years now. But checking the breaker is the first thing to do, I want to make sure that I will not go overload of elecrtical power this time. I hope this christmas will be as good as last year.

The Golden Man

Time flew so rapidly fast and even up to this very day, I refuse to accept that my dad is officially 50 years old. Not that he shouldn't be getting old, but he just doesn't look old to be a 50 year- old man. Now, that he has reached the golden years of his life, does that mean that he'll soon grow gray hair? I could not imagine my dad having those dark hair turn into gray. I wonder what he would look like when that time comes?
So, anyway, we gave him a big and a memorable party right from the comfort of his own backyard. Guests after guests arrived as the party was going on. Dad wore a big smile all night that goes all the way up to his ears. We had a long table of Filipino dishes, two delicious mocha cakes and more sweet course for everyone that night. We had too much food leftover, that all of our guests were happy to take home some of it. Having more food is better than not having enough for your guests. It was a nice way to end the party that way because I believed that when our guests left the party, they talked nothing but how successful the party was and how great the fact that they got to take home the food that will last them days without cooking. *wink*

Sage and his manners

My little boy, Sage is only 22 months. And as young as he is, Sage is extremely doing well with his manners especially with other people. The basic "thank you, please, and I'm sorry" will come out of his mouth like automatic... And I remember teaching him only a few times, yet it's amazing how it instills in his young mind and knows how to use it the right way, like he really knows what he's doing. The other day he told me "mommy, say sorry" when I dropped a bottle. He knows he's done something wrong when he says, " I'm sorry, I did something! Hahahaha! it's funny but it truly melts my heart. This morning at church, he was at the baby's room because he can't sit still inside the worship hall. The older kids that were there have their crayons and coloring book with them, which was really smart move by their mothers because it made them sit still and quiet. Now, Sage wanted to get one of those crayons from these kids. Fortunately, one of the mothers lent him 3 crayons, that made him calm through out the morning. While he was sitting there coloring, he then said to the woman who gave him the crayons "thank you, people...." hahaha, I can't help it! It was again so cute especially coming out from Sage's mouth. He knows mommy, daddy, his auntie and uncles, his papa and mimi, his grandpa, and great grandma and those who are outside the family, he refers them as "people." That's where Sage's logic was coming from when he said "thank you, people" to that woman at church today. I am so proud of my little angel because he is really learning something. *wink*

I will end this entry with a clip of my husband and my son. I think Sage was about 19 months old in this video. Enjoy!

"The Story Book"

Our little Sage never stop amazes us every single day. It was just last week when i started reading books to him before bedtime. Well, I did try reading with him when he was younger but really paid no attention to it. Now, he is hooked on it and has been asking for a story since then. It's been three nights that Sage asked me to read him stories before he goes to sleep. Three hours ago, my son has to remind me when we were laying down the bed. He goes "mommy, story book." And I was like, "oh yeah, where is that book?" I was saying it in a way that I didn't really forget about the bedtime story. His favorite book right now is "The Going To Bed Book" by Sandra Boynton. The story is simple, short, and full of interesting pictures perfect for his age. He never gets enough from one book after another. Even during nap time in the afternoon, Sage demands for a story time. I guess it is a good thing that he is interested with books right now. I hope and pray that he would carry that interest towards reading as he grows. Sage is 22 months today and in no time, he's going to be 2! He is a little uncontrollable, but overall he is really doing well. Lately, he's been memorizing the United States Presidents. And to everybody's surprise, Sage has the first nine Presidents stored in the memory bank right now. Thirty-four more Presidents' name to go!

The New Lawn Man In The Block

Who would have thought that my husband will be the new guy mowing the lawn? After 3 long weeks of waiting for Jose, the regular lawn man who supposed to come and mow the yard every two weeks, Robin decided to buy a lawn mower, blower, and an edger to call our own. Aside being a teacher, Robin has another task to do. Meaning, that's less break he'll get on the weekend... will he last long as a new lawn man or will he pick up the phone and find a new Jose to do the yard work for him.... hahaha! I am so thrilled about this whole yard thing! Goodluck my dear Robin!

my 20-month-old's social and emotional development

These past few days was a little rough for me. My lil' Sage is, I think, is now on the stage of his life they call TTs(terrible twos). Oh, how I wished it did not exist with him, but unfortunately it does! For instance, the eukelele.... I want to talk about this because Sage and his first "baby guitar" as what I'd like to call it, are just amazingly inseperable things I have ever seen on earth! The first thing he mouthed off when he wakes up is "guitar" and the last thing he wants in bed with him is "guitar." No matter how hard I tried to explain it that the "guitar" cannot go to bed with him is just not good enough for him. No! there was the BIG NO!!!... Here is another sign of TTs that I am seeing right now. Sage is really good in insisting on doing exactly what you've told him not to do or throw himself down on the floor or throw his head back in a fit of temper if he doesn't get his way. I can't believe I am saying this, but his demands just alternately frustrate and amuse me. At times, he likely ask for something that he deosn't even want, just to see if he has enough power to get it. hehehe... so tricky little Sage! Am I in for a big trip? because I think I am in the midst of the so called TTs... Dear Lord, please give me enough strength and patience to deal with this.

On the other side, Sage is really developing and so grown up despite the fact of him, being the uncontrollable one these days. My little toddler likes to try on daddy's shoes and anybody's sandals in the house. By stepping, literally, into the shoes shows that he's aware he is growing bigger and that he wants to be just like daddy. I also notice him pretend playing with his stuffed animals, with the birds, and with our puppy Blitzen. He'll take over the parenting role by feeding his stuffed bear while I am feeding him. Sometimes, I see him put the pacifier on to the stuffed toys mouth. He likes to share his milk with the birds as well. He goes "bird milk bird milk" or say "bird car bird" when he gets a new toy car. It's funny to see him like this but at the same time it is undeniably so cute! Pretend play is just a great example of imitation and a sign that Sage is learning how to empathize with others.

My 20-month-old is very affectionate. He likes to give me and Robin a hug as we watch him play. Sometimes, while I was lazily laying on the couch watching tv, he would run up to me and say "kiss mommy" and after I gave him the kiss he would then say "thank you".... One night, in our bedroom, Sage was trying to let himself fall by the edge of our bed. Robin told him don't or you will get a booboo. first he attempted and then stopped...he then said, "okay daddy, okay mommy, Okay...." hahaha.... things like this make us forget the first part of this entry. Here is a video of Sage just before bedtime.

Updates...

I know I have been off for a while. things have been rough lately. our 12 -year old dog, Kaiser passed away last week. it was really hard to take for my in-laws because the dog was their life. So this past monday, we drove down to Conroe, Tx to get a new puppy. In Kaiser's replacement, we now have a German short-haired Pointer and we named him Blitzen Axel Duerr. sounds like a human being, but that's how we treat our dog in this house. We call him "blitz" in short. things are getting a lil' better around the house since we had the new puppy. sage is getting used to having the puppy running around and actually, he has been pretty good with Blitz.

Summer time has been great so far. It is good to have Robin being home everyday. That makes Sage really happy as well. The kid loves daddy being home because he equates him as play and fun. what about mommy??? mommy is about nap, eat, and learning... it kinda bores him which I can't argue. I bet I wasn't happy myself about nap time and learning time when I was growing up.

Robin is looking for a new job on a different school district. He had an interview yesterday at the school where my mom teaches. and it went pretty well, says he. We are waiting for the decision and we are praying for that. This will be a big transition from teaching elementary to middle school. It will be a big change and a big challenge especially in dealing with older hard-headed kids. so, we will pray for that too if ever he gets the job.

In less than two weeks, I will be celebrating my 27 years of life. yikes! not feeling it... there will be no party, as what we have decided. mom's gonna be in Dallas in that week and my sister will be working night shift on that same week. who wants to have a birthday party without your mother and your sister? count me out! I hope Robin will take me out to dinner or shopping or something...

keeping myself busy

Tonight, my parents are bringing back my son home. As we all know, Sage spends his every weekend at lolo and lola's house. My parents love having Sage and I don't mind it at all for them to have him over the weekend. I'm just glad my parents are always there to look after my son each weekend. it really allows me to do things with my husband (i know what you're thinking, lol....)!

I am proud to say that I did some chores around the house today. I mopped the floor and changed the window drapes as well. Our curtains been up for months, so I figured out it's about time to take them down and give 'em a bath, lol... I re-arranged the setting inside the house and gave it a different look, because it was really becoming a lil' mind-numbing. Refreshing my surroundings is my way of venting off stress, seriously. I am just hoping that Sage will be a lil' friendly especially with the fragile objects, which I know he'll probably won't...

What else??? Oh, Robin and I went out to the track and made some money. On the way home, we stopped by the oriental store to pick up a sack of rice and a pack of tofu. Few days ago, I've made a decision that shocked Robin and that is to abstain myself in consuming beef. I don't know how long this will last because I really like eating the meat! But when I saw how they kill the the poor animal on the kill spot, I can't help myself but feel sorry. I can tell you this much, it is disgusting and very inhumane thing to see...

After this entry, I'm going to give myself a bath as well, just like my curtains... imagine a track with a lot of people, smoking, and horses... that's how I smell like right now. yikes! Since I am expecting Sage to come home tonight, I want to get it done before he'll be home. Oh wait, I just remembered. I need to water my flowers on the front yard. With the Houston weather these days, my flowers are getting sooo dehydrated easy. 'till next time folks and have a great week everyone!

Goodbye Spring... Hello Summer!

It was Memorial Day and Robin was off from work when we had a lil' splashing activity in our backyard. Summer is not quiet here yet. But the weather in Houston makes us feel like it is already summer time. It's completely silly to admit, but it was our lil' boy's first time to play out in the backyard. We have our reasons why we never allowed him to play out there until yesterday. It was a fun and an amazing scene as I keenly gazed at Sage sprinting out in the water. He was lovin' the fact that he's finally limitless to play in a bigger space, and he was free to play with the water as well. I just wanted to remind all my readers that my son is only 19 months old, so he was a little dubious getting in the splash mat at first. It took daddy few efforts to really get him under the splashing water, but it didn't took Sage long enough to get used to it. We noticed that he mumbles a lot lately and his favorite sentence was "I scared." He was scared and at the same time, was having a great moment of his life scampering around our backyard like a mad dog. When do these two things go together? It just doesn't make sense to me, but I guess for my son it meant something. "Yucky" was another word he uttered yesterday. He denoted a bunch of left-over grass from a newly mowed lawn that was stuck on his legs. To him, it's unpleasant! I agree and my son has a point in that matter. It's funny that Sage is learning so much and uses words that I thought were bigger than him. Overall though, we had a blast and what a great activity for a Memorial Day!

My Mother's Day

Saturday, my husband told me that he'll take me to the Jewelry shop to get what I want for mother's day. I decided not to get really expensive, so I told him I am getting nothing. I don't really need any jewelry this time.. not just yet! So he moved his head in agreement and said, "Okay, I'll take that".

Sunday came, and it was Mother's Day and the whole world rejoiced! I am a mother, but it wasn't about me at all. I just didn't feel it! First of, my husband woke up that Sunday morning forgetting that it was mother's day. Second, I don't get any card from him, not even a damn cold electronic card. He's not a card/flower/balloon type of a husband anyway, so I kinda' expected that. But he used to send me electronic greeting cards on Myspace, yet not this time, baby. Not this time! I figured out he was really "too busy" to remember that. I won't deny, but it made me really sad. But sometimes, there are things that we need to throw out of the window just to avoid conflicts.

So, I left the house and the forgetful husband. Then I found myself at Kroger to buy my mom some balloons. That's the least I could do after Robin forgot about mother's day. On my way to my mother's, I decided to stop by the cemetery to visit my mother-in-law's grave site. I laid new flowers on the vase and I had a balloon tied around it.

At my mom's, I had a really good time. My sister was there and her husband. They brought my mother a chocolate cake, which was really yummy. My brother-in-law made a very good lunch for all of us there. At the end of the day, I felt really good because I got to spend a wondeful time with my mom. here she is cutting her cake.

I love you so much mom!

Derby Updates

Derby is one of the many events the family considers special. Every year, the family goes to the track and enjoy the day while betting our favorite horses. So, this past Saturday was the 134th Kentucky Derby Run for the Roses. We hung a derby flag on the only Oak tree we have in the front yard. Derby day is not only about the horses but the ladies' hats as well. In addition to laying a bet for the horses, we decided to put entries for the derby hat contest held at the Sam Houston Race Park. I made both of our hats that took me 2 days to get them all together. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky to be chosen as a winner, because we didn't have the whole "get up". Besides creativity and time spent in hat making, which I believed we have, the judges seemed to be judging the contestants' dresses that matched their hats. I thought it was a hat contest, but I guess it wasn't. By next year, I will be smarter... but I am not sure being there again for the hat contest. Prizes are not worth-after, let me tell you that!


this is the hat I made for my husband, which he wore to the Derby.
He named his hat "Barbaro's Dream" in tribute to the late 2006 Kentucky Derby
winner Barbaro. That's Barbaro on top of the hat.






This is my "bird of paradise" hat... you like?

me at the Sam Houston Race Park for the Derby.

The Derby was a huge pay day to those who put money on the big favorite "Big Brown". I was the only one who believed on Big Brown in the family. My husband picked Pyro, and Colonel John was favored by my father-in-law. Coming from the 20th hole, fears and qualms played a big role in many peoples' minds. Can Big Brown win the race, was the biggest concern. Of course I was one of them, so I boxed the horse with other three horses to hit the board in any order. Regrettably, it didn't worked out the way I wanted it to be. I should have known, but that's the name of the game. That's why horse racing is such an exciting sports.

The victory of Big Brown was stained when the filly, Eight Belles broke her front ankles and was euthanized at the track after finishing second behind Big Brown. It was historic for Big Brown being the undefeated horse, who is aspiring to win the Triple Crown, yet the day ended poignant when Eight Belles has to be put down. It is sad to think for people who came out to the track and saw all that, it's got to make them think, "Man, why would I want to go out there and see that happen to a horse?" It's got to be very disappointing to anyone who loves horses. True… I remember watching my husband sobbed the other day as he watched a 6-second replay of Eight Belles falling down. I agree with the media for not focusing on Eight Belles on the ground. A very sad moment on a beautiful day for a horse race. She gave everything she had and what is expected of her including her life. A beautiful animal with this much heart deserves much than being put to death. May you rest in peace, Eight Belles...

31 cent a scoop night at Baskin-Robbins!

On April 30th, groups of all sizes and ages showed up and treated each other to a scoop.
And it was a big Wednesday night for our little angel, Sage. It was his first real ice cream treat at Baskin Robbins, as the store gave a special of 31cent a scoop. It was a great deal that numbers of customers flocked outside the store waiting to get in. Sage was so proud and happy as he dig into the cup of his first strawberry cheese cake ice cream. He also had a little share of mine and Robin that made him really stuffed that night. We left the ice cream parlor still packed and headed straight to the mall to let Sage play at the play land. It surprised us both because for the first time, Sage refused to play as he held on to his stroller. We tried to walk around the mall a bit thinking that he would changed his mind, yet the little tired boy won’t get off his stroller for the third time. I guess eating a scoop of ice cream could make a baby really full as young like Sage. I wonder if Sage dreamed about strawberry cheese cake that night??? Here are some of Sage's photos enjoying the night away as he devoured and gulped down this so-called frozen dessert made with cream!

All this for me? cool!

hmmm... yummy, yummy in my tummy, tummy!


sharing with daddy's ice cream cone.

He's back to work. Thank God!

Last week was pretty intense. My husband, Robin injured his back from jumping off the stairs. It sounds silly and stupid that he did it to entertain our 18-month old son. I'm sure there are other ways to play with Sage right now. He took 3 days off from work and one of those days was spent to visit the doctor. Thank God, he has gotten better with the medication they gave him and was able to go back to work on Thursday. When Robin was home and not being able to do anything, I felt like looking after two children. I had to fed him in bed that took about 45minutes, because he couldn't stand at all. I had to admit, he was worst to feed than the baby. Not that I don't like taking care of my husband, but I have never seen an adult acting like a baby. Sage, our beautiful and cute son is 18 months and I get my hands full with just him. One thing I was proud about Robin, his situation didn't stop him from playing with Sage. He couldn't say "No" to our cute little angel and still was able to do things with him. here is a video of Sage and Robin doing the "rock band thing." y'all might want to turn up your volume with this: