Today, my family and relatives will be giving our final respects to Uncle Arthur. My uncle passed away on Wednesday, September 16.  I was lucky to have been able to see him on Tuesday at the hospital when Ryan and I brought some church music for him to listen too.  My cousin Erica, who is a nurse, called me up on Tuesday afternoon telling me if I could bring something for him to listen to instead of all the hospital noises that he was probably tired of hearing..  Erica told me the last to go when a person is about to pass away is their hearing.. and we wanted him to listen to music of inspiration. 

Uncle Arthur and I always had this thing where I ALWAYS tried to “Mano Po” him.. but he never lets me because he says he doesn’t want to show that he’s old.. So he would give me the tight grip handshake and smile instead… Sometimes I am able to sneak a Mano Po in.. like when he had a case of gout in his hand (sorry…I didn’t know)…

He fought a good fight and finished his race… and although I am happy that he has finished his journey in this world.. I am sad because it will be awhile until we all see him again…

I’m going to miss you Uncle Arthur! Until we all see each other again.. Mano po… :(

I borrowed this picture from ate Yolleta (today’s her birthday too). Ate Yolleta.. Happy Birthday. Now I understand what you mean when you said how your dad has always been and will always be a part of your birthday. 

Hi Erica! Here’s the teaser you’re asking for! Stay tuned for more photos of your babies and your family ;o)

Miss you all!

- ate Joan

It was probably one of the best Labor Day Monday’s I’ve had in a long time! I spent the day witnessing and documenting the wedding of April and Paul.  All I can say is, I am really blessed. Blessed because I was able to get to know two wonderful people and blessed because I got to share in the happiness and love that I felt during their wedding day.

April and Paul were married on Monday, September 7^th in the Iglesia Ni Cristo house of worship in the locale of Montclair, California.  Their love story of how they came to be a couple is truly one that was guided by our Father above and I know their future will also be guided by HIM as well. They are one of the most beautiful people you could ever meet and I can’t wait to get to hang out with them one of these days… or even just to see them during one of church activities in this district.

April and Paul: THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! You’re wedding day was not only your answered prayer, but it was mine as well because that day (after experiencing one of the biggest loss in our lives) made me realize that we, members of the Church of Christ, will be okay… The love and happiness that your family and friends had shown to you both gave me peace of mind and made me realize how lucky we are to be not only friends but brothers and sisters in the faith. My love to you both!

To view some of my favorites please scroll down. To view the slideshow, please click here.

Growing up with my “girl cousins”, we didn’t have the “luxury” of buying barbie dolls like some kids, so we got creative! We made dolls out of cardboard! The clothes  – made with paper but they were etched with different designs. Shoes and accessories were drawn and colored. However, I had to struggle with my cardboard doll because I could not draw at all! Really.. it was bad.. So I remember my cousins, ate Yolleta and ate Virma, helping me make my doll… I remember thinking, “Wow! This is so much better than barbie dolls!” –

That was one of my favorite toys I had to play with and it didn’t cost us and our parents a dime!

Where am I going with this? Well… this leads me up to our contest! We have about 500 fans on our facebook page so Ryan and I decided to hold another contest!

As a thank you to all of our supportive and endearing facebook fans, we are holding a contest to win a $100 Disney gift card.

In order to participate, please do the following:
1) Become an es-sense Facebook Fan! If you are not yet a fan of es-sense, please click here and become one: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Long-Beach-CA/es-sense/120695114014

2) Leave a comment on this blog post telling us what your favorite toy as a child was and why it was your favorite.

3) Leave your Full Name (no nicknames please…)

4) Leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win!

5) Contest Deadline will be on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 11:59 PM!

Ryan and I will place your name in a basket or a bucket or a hat…somewhere where we can draw a name out on Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 11:00 PM. We will TRY to video tape the drawing so you know we’re not cheating. It depends if we have time… so yes, we will TRY.

The winner will be announced on Friday, October 2, 2009.

This gift card can only be used to purchase Disney merchandise and tickets at select participating locations at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Store locations in the United States and if you are in a country that does not have any of the above mentioned, you can use it at www.disneystore.com so no matter where you live in the world, if you have internet access and if Disney delivers to your country, you can participate! So people outside the US, you can be sure that I will be sure to mail you the prize, if you win!

Please allow up to 2 – 3weeks for delivery.

Lastly, since blogs are better with photos, here’s a photos of one of my favorite “past times” – puzzles. I guess I’m just really into paper and cardboard products huh?

A week ago, my brother Jordan, started middle school… yup! Middle School! And I still can’t believe how time is just flying by… I mean, wasn’t he just a baby like last week???  Okay, fine… it’s been almost 12 years ago when God blessed my family with Jordan… and yet, to me, he’s still my baby brother…

I was searching for church music mp3’s to upload on to my iphone when I happenned to stumble upon a recording of my brother Jordan and my sister Janice. I remember I had Ryan convert the recording to an mp3 because it was on a cassette tape and I wanted to make sure I preserved this recording… I had forgotten all about it until last week. This recording was done probably before Jordan was suppose to go to bed. I remember when Jordan was between the ages of 3-5 my sister and I would tape record him singing songs like nursery rhymes he learned by watching Sesame Street. Now, I’m glad we did! These recordings are sooo precious!  Having this recording of baby Jordan singing church hymns is just so much more special to share…  He may not have known ALL the words, back then, but at least he knew the important words to the music, like “Our God Is Love”!

If you’re a parent, be sure to document your kids either with video, tape recordings, and take lots of pictures of them! If you’re an older sibling with baby brothers/sisters, do the same! Kids really do grow up sooooooo fast! Ryan and I don’t have kids yet, but we’ve brought up and have cared for baby nieces, baby nephews, and a baby brother.. we know how important it is to document children while they are still young. Most importantly, we know how necessary it is to teach children about faith, hope, love, as well as worshipping, serving, and praising our Almighty God.

Here’s a picture of Jordan taken in 2007. He’s so much more taller than me now…