It's 2012, and You Will Learn to Read

Lately, you have been always hunkered over some book, pretending to "READ" :) I started you on the concept of Ball-Stick-Bird to prepare you for the books we ordered for you. In a way, I cannot wait for you to be reading already... in a way, I am also saddened by the thought.

I am also intimidated - a lot - of the prospect that homeschooling is now for us. But then again, what every 4-year old has to know is that the world is an amazing place. That was something I 'gave' you before but sort of failed to give most of last year as I struggled with you and Yamee. But my gift to you is to bring back the joyful, exciting parent you once enjoyed. And the great thing about all this is that we will be inspiring Yamee along....


Here are my FB updates about you for the past 4 months:

Pappie : who do u like playing with, me or buzz?
Yakee: you!
Pappie: why me?
Yakee: because I love you and you're my partner.

Suffice it to say, Pappie had to say goodbye to working at home :)

*~*

Yakee and Lion King
Y: Pappie, i'm Booba.
P: Who's that?
Y: You know, the baby lion?
P: You mean you're Simba.
...
Y: You know, there were (indistinct)
Me: What's that? Did you say honking ass?
Y: Yes.
Me: Baby, Rafiki is a monkey, his ass doesn't honk.
Y: No, no. I mean the 3 honking ass that ran after Simba.
Me: You mean, hyenas.

Y singing: Hakuna Putata, there's no worries for the rest of your days, it's your problem frees, philosophies, hakuna putata
(yep...lahat dapat plural)

*~*

Yakee: Mommy, when I grow bigger, I will poop like Pappie.

bwahahahahahaha... I dunno what he meant, ekshuli

*~*

Just recently established that both my boys share the same blood type. I hope I raise them loving each other enough to someday freely donate bone marrow or a kidney to the other, should the need arise.

*~*

Out of delight, I sometimes feel like paying Yamee for having to entice him with fish & other veggies just so he'd eat other veggies. Even Kuya Yakee will devour his fish & veggies first before laboring over rice.

*~*

I also especially love it when I fetch Yakee and everybody greets everybody else like an old friend... and mommies tell me their kids tell them about playing with or missing my son. (and no drama like my friends' stories)

*~*

Yakee to Andee (neighbor, girl age 8)
"You want to come upstairs? There's books there. It's not scary there. There's no monsters there."

Up there = our bedroom
gudlak!

*~*

Yakee didnt like my cathedral windows... hope he likes this chicken nuggets naman...

*~*

I finally got fed up and lost my temper with a non-cooperative Yakee and withdrew priviliges... it upset him so, he declared he is not sleeping in our house tonight but with my cousin next door. I let him. Pappie is antsy about it. And Yakee turns four tomorrow :D

*~*

Four years ago today, I gave birth to our firstborn... and life became more magical than we ever thought possible.

Happy birthday Yakee...

*~*

While washing Yakee's face:
"Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a teacher at St Michael"

Napa-awww... and napa-kiss naman ako talaga!
(from Tita Winnie
Iakob is truly one sweet boy too...even if I am with the full day class and I visit their class, he's one who would approach me and call me Tita Winnie! and would talk to me too...)

*~*

I am such a parent now. I was super scandalized and disgusted by a pop ad of naked people (not sure if from Mediafire or 4shared). Thank heavens Yakee wasn't nearby but he was like, "what Mommy, why?" after hearing my "Ewwww, oh yuck!" shriek

*~*

Yesterday, Yakee and Ice were giggling under the stairs. Turned out they were waiting for me...got my behind poked with a giant bubble wand while getting ice cream.

Today, Yamee scratched his Kuya's face over a toy.
It's so bittersweet that my babies are not babies anymore ...and a tad scary that they're growing up typical boys.

*~*

My hubs' sibs call Yakee crazy, and we all ended up calling each other crazy. It's a family thing. Unfortunately, Yakee started calling his friends at school "crazy dog" so they in turn call him the same, and their parents end up chastising their child for something my son taught them. I do a lot of apologizing and explaining.

So as not to invalidate the 'family' aspect of it... I told Yakee that only members of our family are crazy and that other people cannot be crazy. They can be nice, cute, funny, awesome... but not crazy.

At school today, a Mom told me that her daughter told her, "Mommy, Iakob's family is crazy." I did a lot of apologizing and explaining again.

*~*

My nephew and our girl neighbor easily trumps Yakee with emotional blackmail... I am often unsure if I should be worried that my son still hasn't a grasp of this kind of manipulation. Does this say anything about his EQ? O... sheltered lang talaga sya?

Ahehe.

*~*

At the Power Plant Mall, when I first realized I didn't have my wallet with me, I apologized to Yakee for not having money to buy the agreed popsicle that we went there for. He was immediate in his response, "Mommy, it's ok, I have money..." and proceeded to get the 25 cents he found in the jeep that morning.

*~*

When I was crying by the dining table after realizing I lost my rings, Yakee asked me why I was sad then hugged me. Then he said, "It's ok Sarabi, it's ok."

*~*

Left sons with Pappie to attend LATCH G.A.... I came home to well-fed, napping boys, what's more, Pappie made play money with Yakee and got him to WRITE numbers.

Looks like I need to find me a job na, 'coz it seems Pappie is a better hoeschooling parent!

*~*

Me: Mahal, even if you don't like to, you have to pee.
Yakee: No, I don't want to pee. My penis is not angry.
Me: What? Why does your penis need to get angry before you pee?
Yakee: Because... I have to wait for my penis to be angry before I can pee. It's not angry o.
Me: Who told you about your penis needing to be angry?
... Yakee: Ninang!

Disaster ka Ate Josephine, ni-relate mo ba to sa Angry Birds?

*~*

Me: Mommy is so sad, Mommy doesn't have a baby anymore. You and Yamee are growing up so fast, you're now big boys!
Yakee: Don't worry Mommy. Someday, we will buy another baby again.
Me: Uhm, no!
Yakee: Yes we will.
Me: No, I will just wait till you and Yamee are super big boys already, and you will have your own babies.
... Yakee: Ok :)

I wonder though how much he thought we bought Yamee for. P25? :D

*~*

Let some 20 or so kids loose on a farm and you'd usually expect mayhem. But these kids weren't that noisy, didn't fight, took turns, shared, held hands and generally kept to themselves while having fun. They also ate their veggies, no prob. And there were no tears when it's time to go home.

That's Waldorf kids for you :)

*~*

Yakee feeding a goat during his field trip.

On a related note... thank you, darling son, for not smelling like one... even after a most active day in the sun.

*~*

haha... the look that won him P1k gift cheque and got him more candies than others just because he did not show up as a vampire :)

thanks Ninang XiAh for the costume!!! sulit na!


*~*

Yakee: Mommy, when the chicken is killed, it becomes chicken sad. Then, when it is cooked, it becomes chicken joy.
Me: Why does it become chicken joy after cooking?
Yakee: Because it wants to be fried.
Me: Why does it want to be fried?
Yakee: Because it wants to be happy.

I did ask again why frying makes the chicken happy, but Yakee got mad na... "the chicken wants to be fried nga daw!" :)

*~*

Never heard of the song coz am not a Springsteen fan... found the lines, got goosebumps and thought of how I want my sons to grow up as each other's keeper... and decided to scrap this.

Turns out... it's some sort of tribute to a lost brother...and no, I am not invoking that naman.



*~*

Yakee while praying last night:
Papa Jesus, thank you for everybody will be dead.

Eto na naman kami sa dead. We did go to a cemetery yesterday though and Pappie did say during one of their convos that 'someday, everybody will die' :)

*~*

There was a moment at the party last Saturday when Yakee was the lone boy in a sea of at least 10 winged girls and I really felt a pang of longing for a girl... a little regret that I will never dress someone in tutus and ribbons and glitter.

Maybe all my grandkids will be girls.... :) And I will be an insufferable doting grandma.

*~*

How do you declutter and spring clean without triggering allergic rhinitis and eczema?

Promised Yakee a Christmas tree after we've decluttered... and well... :D

*~*

Yakee: You are bad, I don't want you. I want another Mommy, not you.
Me: Oh, I am so sad to hear that but if that's how you feel...

(later)
Yakee: Mommy, hold my hand.
... Me (holds his hand): You still want me to hold your hand even if you don't want me to be your Mommy anymore?
Yakee: (silence)

(later)
Yakee: Mommy, i'm so sorry for getting mad at you. I want you to be my Mommy.

* sorry son, no getting rid of me *

*~*

Me: want me to scramble the egg or cook it sunny side up?
Yakee: Sunny side?
Me: Yes, I can cook it sunny side up so you can see the yolk.
Y: Will it look like Barbie and Ken?
Me: What?
... Y: You said sunny side, like the daycare (in toy story 3)?

hay... the lines between reality and TV are so blurred with my son...

*~*

I used the quote on the boys' party giveaways, as they were books from Adarna House :) We have been reading the ones the storyteller related for a week now... Yakee can't get enough of Titoy's magic chair.



*~*

(during Mass last Sunday)

Yakee: Look Mommy, he's tied to the cross.
Me: Yes, Papa Jesus was crucified. He died for our sins.
Y: He is a hero.
Me: Yes, I guess you can say that.
Y: He is a hero. Like St Michael :)

*~*

Done by our neighbor, 9-year old Andee. Misspelled names aside, she actually beats me at drawing... even the Bop It toy in the background was part of the picture!

Lu, next time i'll ask her to draw me naman, hehe :)



*~*

So, even if I don't feel like eating Oreo, I have to... if only to ration Yakee. Hehe.

*~*

Yakee: Mommy, come! It's your song, come on!
Me: Awww, you're so sweet. (I go to the kitchen expecting to hear "If I Fell" which I sing to the boys often.)
Yakee: See, Mommy. How Gee!

uhmmm.... my child knows me only too well? :D

*~*

This is Yakee, refusing to apologize to the DDU girls.. hehe...


*~*

First... it was just a makeshift cape from his cloth diapers we never really used as diaper.
Then... it was a toy sword worn down his back.
Now... Yakee has added a toy axe hitched on his underpants.

MY son's everyday costume is sure starting to pile up.

*~*

Time flies... and the baby is no more, except in your heart... and your memories of him...



*~*

The challenging thing is that I wanna homeschool Yakee and I know he's physically/musically inclined :D

*~*

Watching my son caught up in his imaginary world like I used to be when I was young is an exercise in beautiful. . . Weird, but beautiful. :)

*~*

(while trying to tell Pappie Jojo about our day)
Yakee: Mommy, who is that boy I played with? The one with the white bird?
Me & Pappie: What?
Yakee: The one with the white angry bird on his shirt.
Me: Ahhh...
...
(while praying before bed)
Me: Papa Jesus, Mommy is sorry for losing her temper...
Yakee: Again! Mommy lost her temper again.

*~*

Disaster: Santa leaving a Transformers gift without the parent who can help it 'transform'... plus, the blasted toy hurts my hands.

*~*

Sorry Yakee. I'll read to you na lang.
Yakee: Mommy, the ants are like beggars.
(not sure she heard it right)
Me: The ants are like what?
Yakee: The ants are like beggars, they're looking for food.