Rocco's Fab Birthday Weekend, Part 3

After Rocco's Jollibee Party, our troop wasn't ready to call it a night yet. Where else to go for some night time sight seeing overlooking the city but to Mountain View Nature's Park. The place is around 15-20minutes drive from the city, but once you reach the top, it's like being in another magical place that's just so relaxing.

 It was very cold when we arrived. May sumpong na din ang anak ko because he fell asleep during the drive, and was irritable when he woke up. Initially, I didn't bring him outside the car because he didn't have a jacket, but since he refused to go back to sleep, pinasyal ko na din. Sadly, dito ata sya nagka colds. We stayed for about an hour, and decided to call it a night. Mga pagoda na kaming lahat, at literal na bagsak patulog when we arrived home.

The next day, my side of the family were headed back to Tacloban already, except for the Santos fam who extended their vacation for a few more days. We heard mass and had lunch at Cafe Laguna before heading to the airport to drop them off.

 Ganyan kahaba ang table namin sa sobrang dami namin. We enjoyed a really sumptuous lunch! 

 My little boy enjoyed his food as well. 

With our ever supportive parents.

From hereon, we weren't able to take any pictures. Read on to know why...

After dropping my family at the airport, we made an impromptu decision to go to Danasan Eco Adventure Park. I asked our van driver if he knew the place, and how far it was, and he said it was OK to go there and would just take an hour, so we proceeded. Little did we know that the trip there was going to be an adventure itself. 

An hour passed since we left the city, and we weren't at the place yet. It was almost 3PM that time, when we saw the sign in Danao, Cebu that said it's still a 25km ride to Danasan. Ang layo pa pero go pa din kami. Then the road started to get rough because we were driving through a mountain pala. Hind rin namin alam na ganon ka rough ang terrain pero go pa din kami. Then Ed (Ate Dynah's husband who's an expert driver) observed that the gas meter was getting low. Hindi pala nagpa-gas ang driver, and we were in the middle of a mountain already! Buti nalang gas ang kinakarga, and we drove by small sari-sari stores who sold gas by liters. 

At around 4PM, we saw another sign that said 12km pa daw to Danasan. I told Ate Dynah that I was getting  anxious already and I wanted us to stop the trip and head back to the city. I was worried it would get dark and we had 2 kids with us (Zach and Rocco).

Thank God Ate Dynah decided that we return back to the city. It was around 4:30PM that time. A few minutes after we made the U-turn, biglang umusok ang van, and it started to rain hard as well!!! Nasa itaas kami ng bundok! My gosh, naloka ako!! The smoke was starting to fill the van and masusuffocate kami. We immediately transferred to the back of the van and binuksan namin lahat ng windows. Akala ko katapusan na namin lahat. I really mustered all my strength not to cry at baka umiyak din si Rocco. Buti nalang talaga Ed and Sieg were super calm because they knew what was happening. 

Naubusan ng water ang van kaya nagoverheat sya. The driver said nilagyan naman daw nya ng water, pero hindi sya nagdala ng spare. I really think that throughout our ordeal, God was still with us because  if not for the heavy rain, we would not be able to collect water to replenish the van. Salamat sa Diyos din at tumirik kami beside a creek, because there was a gush of flowing water because of the heavy rain.

We were stranded for around an hour, and just in time na nareplenish ang water sa van, ay tumigil na din ang ulan. GOD IS SO GREAT! Hindi nya kami pinabayaan. After nagcool down ang radiator, we proceeded with the drive out of the mountain. Siguro alam din ng kids that something was wrong because surprisingly, there were well behaved the whole time. Si Rocco na super likot, biglang tumahimik, at natulog nalang.

There were a lot of lessons learned after the trip. On the positive side, we were able to go down the mountains safe & sound. Sa sobrang stress namin, napakain kami ng madami sa Zubuchon! :)

The next day, we swore we would just relax. Good thing, my sister and her fam checked in to a Mactan Resort kaya swimming nalang kami.

It was really a fun and memorable birthday weekend for Rocco. Everyone enjoyed and had a great time, and best of all, they were around to witness our little boy turn one year old. Nothing beats that!

Till the next birthday, I'm sure it's gonna be a blast again! :)

Rocco's Fab Birthday Weekend: Sa Jollibee, Bida ang Saya!

For Rocco's first birthday party, Sieg and I decided to just hold an intimate party for our family and a selected group of friends. We've just transferred to our new home, and our expenses were high rocketing, plus the fact that I didn't have time to organize a big party for him. We figured, Rocco is still a baby and wouldn't even appreciate clowns and mascots, plus, we only have a few kids in our guestlist.

We were choosing between Shakey's, McDo, and Jollibee theme parties. What stood out was Jollibee Parkmall. It's a new branch, the space is really big for parties, there are a lot of open parking spaces, plus, we really love Parkmall!

As early as July, we already booked the venue. Eager beaver lang ang peg namin. We wanted to make sure that the party date wouldn't be moved because we have visitors coming from Tacloban and Manila and it would be such a headache to request for plane ticket rebookings.

Sadly, Jollibee Parkmall was very strict with their party details. Themes not in their list are not allowed, cakes not ordered from Red Ribbon are not allowed, special loot bags are not allowed. Sobrang dami pa. Gusto ko pa naman ng Pororo theme. I didn't argue anymore and just went with whatever they had. 

With Grandma Flor, my nieces Chloe and Callie, and nephew Zachary

With my in-laws: Papa Tol, Ann, and Mama Marlyn

The Geonzon Family. Missing are Ate Dona and Kuya Junjo

 In fairness, the party was fun and alive. The host did great in entertaining the guests.

 The host calling in some kids with their mommy/daddy

 The games were super fun! The kids loved it.

Even the grown-ups enjoyed too!

 With friends from work...

 With cutie baby Elise who just turned one a few weeks ago...

 With family friends...

 And relatives...

And more friends from work. Love love!

What's a Jolli Party without Jollibee himself? 

Our friends and family sang with us as our little boy blew his birthday cake.

It was a simple and intimate celebration of Rocco's first year, surrounded by family and friends :)

Rocco's Fab Birthday Weekend, Part 1

Way back July, Sieg and I decided to hold Rocco's birthday here in Cebu. We thought, he was born here, so might as well celebrate his first birthday in his rightful birthplace. He is a natural Bisdak :) It would have been easier to hold his party in Tacloban because our families are there, but we figured out, it could double as a family vacation for everyone if they come to Cebu for Rocco's birthday.

And I'm so happy they did! That's all that mattered to us, to have our families complete as we celebrated this very important milestone. From my side, my parents, Kuya and his wife and kids plus yaya, Ate Dynah and his husband and son all came. My tita (mama's sister) also came. From Sieg's side, his parents and sister came. Those who weren't present were abroad (my sister and her husband, and Sieg's brother).

It was also a perfect occasion for them to visit because we just transferred to our new home, and they haven't had the chance to see it yet. We managed to squeeze in everyone in our house. It was a literally full house because there were 20 of us, kids and yayas  included, who slept in for 3 days. Thank God, he provisioned for everyone to have his/her own space, be comfortable and sleep well in our 4 rooms.

My in-laws arrived earlier last Friday so they headed straight home to play with Rocco. My family arrived late so they went first to the mall while waiting for Sieg & I to finish with our work. The kids were such troopers and not once did they throw tantrums. Love love!

Mornings became fun chaos! The kitchen was always super busy cooking brekky, while we ate in batches. Those who woke up early enjoyed the most yummy treats :) The kids were everywhere running around, playing with toys, and going gaga over Rocco.

Just before lunch, my in-laws and  I headed off to Casa Verde, Ramos to reserve seats, while my side of the family made quick visits to Magellan's Cross and Sto. Nino Church.

We were a fun bunch, all 20 of us, including the yayas. We feasted on the best baby back ribs in town, plus some more mouth-watering meals. Sobrang busog talaga! After lunch, my in-laws went to SM for some quick shopping, while my family continued with their Cebu tour.

Since I rode in the car with my in-laws, I killed off time at the kiddie painting area with Ann, while Rocco took his afternoon nap. Afterwards, it was off to Parkmall for Rocco's Jolli Party.

More stories to come!

How Rocco spent his birthday, Part 2

After Rocco took his afternoon nap on his birthday, we headed off to the city to do 2 things: visit the church, and fetch Grandma Marlyn at the airport. But before we visited the Carmelite Monastery, we made a quick decision and detoured to Rainforest Park. The day was for Rocco, so might as well squeeze in activities that would be enjoyable to the little birthday boy.

We passed by this place countless times already but we never thought even for once to drop by and take a peek, until today. All of us were equally excited! It is a paid facility, and we went there on a weekday so we kinda expected a smaller crowd, but still, there were lots of kids there! It's just a small place, the main features are the dancing fountain, a mini zipline for kids, an aviary, and an oceanarium.

Rocco was amazed with the aviary. He saw some peacocks, multi-colored birds, parrots, tarsiers, and even a roaming deer. So cute because he wasn't scared at all and even went near the birds.

We spent a longer time at the aviary and just skipped the oceanarium because it was getting late already. It was actually a fun first time experience of introducing theme parks to Rocco. I hope Cebu will develop more theme parks and zoos so that kids and families will have more cool places to visit.

After our short trip to Rainforest, we went to Church, and then headed off to the airport to fetch Grandma Marlyn. By that time, the birthday boy was already fast asleep in Mommy's arms. When we arrived home, it was already good night in lala-land for Rocco.

It was indeed a happy and intimate birthday for Rocco. The real action happened during the weekend when the entire Geonzon and Ofonda families all came to Cebu to celebrate with us. Rocco is so much loved, because everyone came, plus more! 

More stories coming soon.

How Rocco spent his birthday, Part 1

Rocco knew it was his birthday. He woke up extra early, around 4:30AM to be exact, and demanded to be carried by his mama. He's like that when he's looking for extra lambing. Sometimes I have to carry him to the CR with me even when I pee because he just wants to be with his mama.

I was extra excited because we prepared something special for Rocco. I wanted our home to have the birthday vibe, and what else can I do to achieve that but to decorate! Because I love craftwork, it was pure labor of love. I made banderitas out of crepe paper, bought a pack of balloons and manually pumped air using a manual balloon pump. After that, I painstakingly pinned each banderitas and balloon to its proper places.

Taddaah! Pardon the poor angling of photos. I was dead tired from decorating and was eager to retire for the night.

When Rocco woke up on his birthday, Sieg & I were both eager to see how he would react to our festive decors. He didn't disappoint because he was super amazed! He kept saying "Waaaaaw" while pointing to the decors. Sayang the photos turned out super blurry because I was still sleepy and forgot to adjust the shutter speed.

After Rocco's AHA moment with the decors, we strolled around the village. We all love this bonding time in the early morning, when we can still feel the cold mist of the dawn, and the sun is just starting to shine, when everybody else are still asleep, yet here we are, ready to start our day.

Because it was Rocco's birthday, we took the whole day off. We spent the morning playing, while waiting for the priest who would bless our house. We just love hearing our little boy shriek in delight every time his Daddy throws him up in the air. He's also very fond of the remote control now. He actually knows where the OFF button is.

Yes, we had several attempts to organize a house blessing but it just didn't fly, so we decided to just hold it on Rocco's birthday. Perfect timing.

After the short but sweet house blessing, we had sumptuous lunch prepared by yours truly. It was just us, our small family, just the way we like it, plus our girls of course, who we consider as our extended family already. Of course, we had to do our monthly tradition of blowing the birthday cake. This one was extra special so we had our party hats on. How cute is our boy wearing his special birthday hat!

We we delightfully surprised when the girls told us they had birthday gifts for Rocco. Honestly, I was super touched by their gesture. They spent their hard earned salary to buy something special for their alaga. Rocco couldn't wait till the presents were opened that he had to do it himself. Thank you to our girls for the bowling set and the toy car! Very nice gifts!

That didn't end Rocco's birthday. We took our early afternoon nap and headed of to church, then had some fun time at the zoo! More to come on my next post.