its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

3 more days, actually 2 not counting Christmas in itself before Jesus' special day... Christmas!!! the christmas tree's up with all the ornaments & lights, the christmas banner's now hanging out the porch, stores are always full of holiday shoppers, the weather has been really cold for the past days -- its really beginning to look a lot like Christmas as the famous song goes... this will be my third Christmas with James, well sort of since during the year 2005, he was all the way in hawaii as a special gift from his aunt yasmin (needless to say i missed him terribly) and this will be our second Christmas withour little angel Julian. last year, Julian was just barely a few weeks old & now, he's more than a year old, can walk so well & is already trying to talk (he got the non-working cellphone that we now use as watch last night when he woke up, put it in his ear and said, 'a-dy?' -- he was looking for his daddy since james wasn't home yet then), among the other things that he now does AND he was even trying to help decorate the christmas tree yesterday with some christmas bells. we don't have much money nowadays since James is the only one working but it doesn't matter... because for as long as our family's together, Christmas will be a happy & special one. eversince i've met James though, Christmas has even been more meaningful to me... its all because it also marks another special birthdate of one very special person, him -- my husband, my best friend -- my sweet baby James :)

to all our friends & families, MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS! We love you!

to Jesus, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY & thank you for keeping our family in your hands always. We love you!

and to my baby James, HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Julian & I love you soooooo much!

thanksgiving

it was thanksgiving last november 22 and i was almost close to tears when i said my thanks before enjoying our dinner... i gave thanks for the people who have now been my family, with me being so far from my immediate family who are all in the Philippines. i was lonely too though not just because of that but because james wasn't home yet from his annual turkey bowl with his friends & things especially special occassions aren't just as happy for me when my husband's not there. he finally got home midway of the dinner. julian joined his daddy again in enjoying the fare even if he has already eaten with me & also on his grandma's plate. we had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, wild rice, blaukraut, pumpkin pie & candied apples... i wasn't able to take some photos but aside from me, james, julian & aunt yol, sacha & her boyfriend dustin came down from san diego & brought along with them their three lovely dogs mugsy, leilani & nala & dustin's mom connie was there too (she was th one who made the really good candied apples -- a nice addition to the already great list of food that were made by james' mom).

i really have a lot to be thankful of... for one thing, i'm so happy that my husband james didn't sustain any serious injuries when he was hit by a car while on his way to work last 16th of november... i was surprised to find him home after julian & i went to get julian's birth certificate all the way in downtown (i think maybe even farther than that) since he should've still been at work. i was so scared & so relieved at the same time when he told me what happened to him & to have him there right in front of me & julian, i had to give him a hug right away. (i actually had this urge to call him though for some reason earlier while i was doing the errand with julian but i don't have a cell anymore & didn't really have his office number memorized yet -- i'm thinking now that him getting into an accident could be it) anyway, it just made me realize even more how fleeting our life could be & that we should always make the most of our lives especially in letting the people in our lives know that they are special and they are loved by us. to my husband james, i know that we sometimes encounter rough patches in our lives but i know that things could never be better without you and julian in my life.

and i know that i have a lot of things to be thankful for but the most important for me is having the family & friends that i have in my life... thanks to you & of course to God who made and continues to make all things beautiful :)