Another Year

Dear Nina,


I can't believe how quickly time has passed.  I feel that the past five years just sped by without giving me a chance to cherish every moment.  You've been telling us that you aren't a baby anymore and though I agree, a big part of me cannot seem to let go of that thought.  Yesterday, you declared to Tita Pu that you were 5 turning 10years old.  You know what?  Sometimes, we think so too!

We're happy that you love your new school and even your teachers proudly inform us that you seem to have coped up very well with the Montessori Method of learning.  You know, there have been several instances where you've managed to stump Kuya with the facts that you learn from school (although I'm sure he wont admit that so let's keep that as a secret, okay?).  Dad and I pray that as you grow older, your enthusiasm for learning and for experiencing new things will remain.  We love seeing your face light up with joy whenever you experience something new or when you proudly show us something that you've accomplished.  Know that Dad and I will continue to do our best to provide you and your Kuya with more opportunities for learning (coupled with a lot fun, of course) for as long as our bodies can hold up.

I must say that this year was a good year for you health-wise.  Although we continue to deal with issues on colds, cough, asthma and allergies, I'm happy that you've managed to stay away from any hospital confinements and frequent trips to the Emergency Room - we had 1 or 2, right?  Let's hope that this year we can trim down those visits to a zero, shall we?

This will be a very very good year for you, I am almost sure of it.  Of course, we should expect that there will be challenges but we are pretty sure that you will be able to handle these well.  You have Dad, Kuya and Mom (plus all our other relatives) to back you up so what else have you got to fear, right?

Keep viewing life the way you do, sweetheart.  Because as you do, you continue to teach us and to inspire us that nothing can and should ever keep us from reaching our dreams.

We love you!

Mom

My Favorite Toys

In this day and age where practically everything runs on some sort of electricity, I've taken a special liking to toys that run, not on batteries, but on the children's imagination.

They say that the best toys are those that do not do anything on their own, and I agree.  And I kinda think that my kids approve as well.  Their building blocks, wooden blocks, puzzles and smart cubes are their constant favorites and they never seem to run out of ideas playing with them.  Never mind if they've had these since they were a year old - they never seem to go out of style.  Battery operated toys often loose their calling after a while and more often than not, we end up with corroded batteries.

Stuffed toys?  Please, give us a break!!!  I have half the mind to donate their stuffed animals because of all the dust that they accumulate (hello allergies!) except that I'm forced to keep them for now for sentimental reasons.  We have tons of elephants right now that even I can't seem to part with.  So for now, I will have to make do with keeping them in a large plastic bin until I finally figure out what to do with them.

Meanwhile, I'm dreaming of adding more to their collections.  I wouldn't mind adding their sets of building blocks, Legos and puzzle sets (the more the merrier!) because every time they start playing with it, they keep coming up with more and more imaginative ways to build and create.

smart cubes, construction toys, legos, puzzles and any kind of wooden blocks
never go out of style as far as these 2 are concerned

magnetic alphabets come in handy not only to teach spelling and reading but also for sorting excercises

shape sorters can teach you shapes, colors, patters while developing motor skills.
OC Alert! Notice how someone has to make sure that the shapes are all aligned

wooden/plastic puzzles - it doesn't matter if they are the cheap ones from Divi, my kids can play with these for hours

from developing creativity to problem solving to motor skills - all in just one toy

Christmas is fast approaching... what about you?  What's your favorite toys?