Today, the sun is out, and it’s quite hot … perfect day for Trick-or-Treat-ing around the campus! We are grateful to the ladies from the school offices. They were so gracious to see Matthew in his Storm Trooper costume. And Matthew is more than happy with the treats he got!

I picked the Darth Vader costume. Hubby picked this Storm Trooper costume, including the helmet that’s too big for Matthew! Who would think that hubby and I get more kick from getting him costumes and dressing him up, but we actually did! The problem was getting the right size. I had to make a few adjustments, but I think both the Darth Vader and Clone Trooper costumes turned out okey.

Happy Halloween! Enjoy your weekend!

All Photos are taken on Oct. 29, 2009. Click the photo to enlarge the photos.

Matthew As 'Star Wars' Storm Trooper	Matthew As 'Star Wars' Storm Trooper
Matthew With Daddy	Matthew With Mommy

All Photos are taken on Oct. 29, 2009. Click the photo to enlarge the photos.

We went to this local high school where they have this sort of fund raising halloween fest, where they sell treats, and set up fun activities for kids. I am just so happy to be have been invited to come with a friend who were going there. It was a great treat for me to get out of the house; and especially for Matthew, who dressed up as Darth Vader and had a blast with the slides and the blowup trampoline.

Photos taken on October 19, 2009. Click to enlarge photos.
Thanks to Lori and the girls, Rachel, Rowan and Naomie for the great time!

Matthew as Darth Vader

Matthew having fun with the girls (Rowan, Naomie and Rachael). I think Matthew was so tickled by the girl's attention!

Darth Vader at the slides. Can you tell that Matthew had so much fun!

The whole day today I was watching ‘The Principal’s Office‘ at TruTV. It’s a reality TV show showing what goes on in the principal’s office. You can’t believe all the funny stuffs that the students get in trouble with – like painting their faces with markers, inappropriate dancing in class, etc. And the excuses they come up with are just too laughable, that somehow, I just question what’s goes on the students’ heads. But then I was high school student once, just not the type who gets caught to be sent to the principal’s office. I was low profile in high school for the principal’s attention.

I can tell right off, that I don’t think I could ever be capable of being a high school principal, or even a teacher. For one thing, I’d be really annoyed with the senseless offenses, severe or otherwise, that the students are capable of doing. Then, I don’t think I could keep a straight face hearing their ridiculous out-of-this-world excuses!

Hubby has a similar job here at the military academy, keeping those teenage boys ‘in line‘. I ask him about his day to get some amusement sometimes, ’cause it is really amusing what the students can do sometimes. But I don’t under estimate their ability to drive hubby nuts and make him yell out loud at times.

Blogging about this makes me remember a time in my life when I actually wanted to be a teacher. After I graduated college, before I was offered my first job that I couldn’t refuse, I have planned to go to the teaching path. If my life had taken that turn and if I have lasted, I’d probably look twice my age today and have more gray hairs if I hadn’t pulled them off yet for misery.

I applaud all the principals of the world, the good ones anyway. For taking care of not just one student but the entire students population. And the teachers and all those in the education profession. As they say, these professionals shape the future.

Last week was the school’s alumnae homecoming. Part of the celebration is the football game in the evening and a display presentation of the opposing mascots. The school’s mascot is a ‘Ranger’. They are playing against the ‘Raiders’.

Hubby is so excited about his company’s display and his cadets worked so hard to put up this dummy. It took hours before they figured out how to get it to stand up. Their hard work paid off for this display was judged the best among two other displays by the other companies.

Matthew and I were out the whole day. All he did was play with this dummy! The cadets were so protective of their dummy so it took awhile before they let Matthew play with it, but they did when they figured that Matthew really couldn’t do anything to damage it. Matthew just couldn’t get enough of it!

In the evening, we watched part of the football game. The Rangers won the game. Go Rangers!

Go Rangers!, Photo taken Oct 9, 2009

Go Rangers!, Dummy, Matthew and Daddy, Photo taken Oct 9, 2009

Go Rangers!, Dummy, Matthew and Daddy, Photo taken Oct 9, 2009

The displays by the other companies:

Go Rangers!, Photo taken Oct 9, 2009 (Click to enlarge!)

Look closely, there's a sniper hiding in the pile of leaves. Go Rangers! Photo taken Oct 9, 2009 (Click to enlarge!)

My 3-year old Matthew is still too young for any serious household chore but I have managed to get him involved in a few chores by giving him little errands.

His favorite errand is helping me with laundry. I let him help me with the laundry with maximum supervision. I let him scoop out powdered laundry soap and very carefully, he loads the soap to the washing machine. And then he helps me load the dirty clothes as the water’s running. He just glee with delight whenever I let him help with the laundry.

The errands he does at my command with practically minimum to NO supervision at all are picking up his toys and putting them in the appropriate location, or placing dirty cups and bottles to the sink, or placing wrappers and other trash to the trash can.

But, a few weeks back, I’ve learned something about giving him errands. I asked him to throw a piece of plastic wrapper to the trash. He placed them on one of his hands. Then I handed him a stack of legos on his other hand and asked him to placed it to the toybox. I basically let him do these errands to absolutely no supervision and then forgot about it.

Then, I was busy straightening things up until he came up to me with dirty hands and said ‘Toys! Mommy! Toys!’ and he was pointing towards the trashcan. I figured that he played with the trash and got him hands dirty. I got so disgusted concentrated on his dirty hands, that I right away directed him to the bathroom to wash his hands, while lecturing him not to play at the trashcan which he has never done before. Right after which he ran back to the trashcan and started digging it. As I was about to call out his attention to make him stop what he was doing, I noticed the plastic wrapper in the toybox, the one I had asked him to throw to the trashcan. I figured that my poor baby got confused that he placed the plastic wrapper at the toybox and threw the legos to the trashcan, and he was trying to tell me that. And now, he was trying to get the legos back. So we dug up the trashcan to pick up the legos, washed our hands and sprayed cleaners on his legos. I learned that it’s still too early for me to give him two or more errands at a time.

I intend on giving him age appropriate household chores and errands as he gets older. Not just him, but all children I am going to have. I think giving kids errands and household chores will teach him responsibility. It will also make them feel involved in the matters of the home. And, obviously, getting them to do houseworks, means just supervision and less housework for me. It just beneficial all together.

However, I know that the problem is actually getting them to do their assigned household chores. I know that as they grow older, the more they will resist and complain and the more they will give excuses not to do their chores. Even Matthew at 3-years-old has already shown signs of resisting errands. He was seated at the floor watching Starwars so seriously on TV. His toys were all scattered in front of him….

ME:  Matthew, pick up your toys!
Matthew (with finger on his lips): Shhh! (I’m) Watching Starwars!
ME: (Stunned!)

Aloha Friday originated in Kailani’s An Island Life. If you would like to join in the fun, simply answer the question as a comment then visit Kailani’s An Island Life for more details. However, your answer and comments are welcome even if you do not want to participate.

Baby#2 at Week 12 Day 3, Ultrasound on 2009 Oct 06

We had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. It’s the appointment for Week 12. We had an ultrasound and we finally saw the baby. I was amazed that at Week 12 Day 3, the baby looks big. Well, according to books, the baby at Week 12 should be as big as a regular-sized apple.

The ultrasound confirmed that baby is measuring well; that there’s no problems as to missing arm or leg ; that the heartbeat is strong; and that it’s a single baby and not twins or multiples. (Thank God!) I don’t mind twins if it’s twin girls but if it’s twin boys… I promise I will still love them! Twins run in my family. My grandma in my father side has a twin sister and the twin gene in the family skips two generations, so there has been some speculations in my family in the Philippines that I could be carrying twins. But it has been confirmed that to our luck NO twins for us. Maybe my sister or my brother is carrying the gene. But I really dread multiples like 3 or more babies, which is anyway unlikely to happen to us since there is no artificial thing going on with regards to this baby.

Also, through the ultrasound, we now had an idea on the baby’s gender but it can’t be confirmed yet until after 5 months when they can see for sure. And I am not going to announce it here until we are sure. We also saw some movements, which actually made me tear up a little bit. It’s just so heartwarming to see the baby moving, the arms and legs and the mouth, and there was a lot of movements. At this point, we are just happy that this pregnancy so going well so far and that the baby’s healthy!

I’m due on April 17, 2010. The hunt for great baby names is on.

Matthew 'Say Cheese!', Photo Taken on Sept 11, 2009

'GOTCHA!' Photo taken Sept 23, 2009

Matthew has just turned 3 years old a month ago! If there’s is a peak in toddlerhood, I think he is in that stage! He’s such a talker now, with a few interpretation of course. A lot lot stronger, more persistent and just have the ability to drive me insane and make me sigh, make me smile and warm my heart at the same time.

He knows how to get out of trouble! I mean, when he knows that he is going to get scolded, he reasons out right away. Like when he grabs the cellphone or camera, he knows that he will get scolded for doing that, so as soon as I get his attention, he’ll give it right back and ask me to take a picture. At this point, he’ll step back, strike a pose, he would say ‘Cheese’ and smile for a picture taking. What can I do but to actually take a picture and totally forget scolding him.

Or when he climbs up the counter and open some cabinet doors. As soon as I call out his name, he’ll right away sit in the counter, opens the rice cooker and tell me “Eat rice, Mommy! Eat rice!”. Mind you, that he doesn’t really eat rice on regular mealtime. He just uses it as an excuse to be in the counters.

His favorite thing right now is the tall laundry basket. He would empty it and uses it to stand on so he can reach high places, the door locks and cabinets locks so he can open them. That tall laundry basket has been a source of frustration for me. He wouldn’t let me take it. He’ll hide inside it, put it sideways and just lie down inside it, so that I won’t be able to take it. As soon as he sees that I’ve given up on taking it, he’ll be right back to climbing on it. I have managed to hide it. So that means all our dirty clothes are temporarily stacked on the floor right now.

Who knows that bandaids can be such a treat! I use them as a reward to get him do stuffs like, take a bath, get out of the bath, pick up his toys, sit and behave.

He can recognize a few words and symbols now. He recognizes ‘Wallmart’ or ‘McDonalds’ from a far, and a few words. I got this ‘preschool’ DVD where he is learning some nursery rhymes and to read some short words. He is quite interested and he has been learning! But he hasn’t quite learned how to hold a crayon properly yet, but he is getting there. Oh, I’m so proud of him!