Brunching at Cafe Boulud!

Rather than exchanging presents this year, Quel and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice brunch instead!

A friend had recommended Café Boulud, which I believe just opened in the fall. It's located at the Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville.

We had the butter lettuce salad, soup of the day (chestnut), steak & eggs and the warm chocolate coulant for dessert! Deeeelish!

I think we're going to make this our annual Christmas gift to each other so we can try new restos out there! Any recommends for next year? :)

Merry Christmas!

I must have been a good girl this year because Santa brought me an awesome gift - the camera lens I've wanted for a long time: 18-200mm zoom lens!! Whoooohooooo!

Can't wait to start clicking away with this new toy of mine. And, I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of that when baby #2 arrives!!

Merry Christmas everyone... hope you all had a fantastic holiday!

Meeting up with old friends!

Since Derek was in town, I got together with Mark, Quel and Derek for dinner (at Spacco) and dessert (at Amore). I haven't seen these guys in ages, but it's like no time had passed when we got together. That's one of the things I love about the holidays - you get to see people you haven't seen or talked to in a while!

It was a fun night - the guys didn't realize how pregnant I was, so it was great to see their reactions! haha.

Happy Holidays!

Gingerbread Houses!

We had a gingerbread house competition at work - each department was responsible for entering a house (completely all edible ingredients to be used only).

The photos are what they came up with! Looks like some people went all out! I won't say which one I did (because it was literally me that did the house for my department in the 15 minutes I had to spare). But I didn't win, can you believe it??

Just thought I'd share! Happy Holidays!

Christmas baking tradition...

Di had us over for her traditional Christmas cookie baking day! It's funny because it used to be we all helped her make the cookies, but the last couple of years, she's been baking herself while the rest of us watch the kids! (See last year's post here). A year certainly makes a difference! Samara was just a month old then, and the kids had just started walking. This year, the kids are talking, and are definitely more active!

It was fun nonetheless. Thanks for the cookies Di! I make such yummy cookies just by watching you! :)

Jacen's 2nd Birthday partay!

Since this is Jacen's last birthday as an only child, we decided to throw him a birthday party!

We held it at Bounce n' Play, where all the kids (and adults) could have a good time!

It was fun! Ron had a great time going into the jungle gym, bouncy castle, slides, etc. for "Jacen's sake".

Thanks to everyone for making Jacen's 2nd birthday such a special one!

Brunch and Basketball!

We met up with Sebby's family this morning for brunch at Cora's. It was the first time we met their new addition to their family: Harrison! What a cutie with those big beautiful eyes!! I also got the real stories of what life is like having a second kid.

We then dropped Jacen off at my brother's house so that we could go to the Raptors vs. Magic basketball game - it's my bro-in-law's younger bro's (Andrew Nicholson #44) team, and it was his first game in the T dot! A bunch of his friends and family were at the game, and we were happy to accept the FREE tickets!! Go Andrew!!

The Raptors ended up winning the game 97-86, but we were cheering for Andrew - who got 8 points during the game. There were a bunch of people that stuck around after to see Andrew, but we went home since we had to go and pick up our kid....

Congratulations Mr. CGA!

We headed to the Westin Harbour Castle today to celebrate a momentous occasion - Ron has finally graduated and is officially a Certified General Accountant! All those years of studying has finally paid off.

Today was his convocation, and when Ron got up to get his certification, he went on the mic and gave a special thanks to his wife and parents! Awwww...

Congratulations Ron... we're so proud of you!! :)

Brunching with Quel...

I met Quel this morning at Amore Trattoria for brunch. It's in the Yonge/Eglinton area. I love trying new places to eat, and this place did not disappoint!

We shared the Amore pizza with a salad, and then we had the waffles!! Look at that thing... so delicious! The pizza was yummy as well - the closest I've had to the ones in Italy! :)

Good food while catching up with a good friend = great morning!! :)

Lorna's Quarter Century!

We headed to Northbeach Volleyball today to celebrate my little cousin's 25th Birthday! Her boyfriend Darryl planned a surprise for her there for the whole family!

I didn't play, of course, but Jacen and Ron had a lot of fun in the sand. Instead, I headed down the street to the William Ashley Warehouse Sale! When you have lots of babysitters on hand, why wouldn't I go?

We then all met up at Ten-Ichi Japanese restaurant for all-you-can-eat sushi dinner! Unfortunately, both my boys were tired from the day so I went on my own for a night out with the fam! Yummmmy!

Fantasy Fair with Dex and family!

It was a busy day today. We met up with Ron's family for lunch at Imperial Buffet to celebrate Ron's mom's 75th Birthday! They had just gotten back from a Mediterranean cruise so had lots to tell us.

We then met up with Dex and family at Fantasy Fair. This is only the second time I've been here actually, and today was even more packed! The kids had fun though, which is what it's all about.

We then all headed out to dinner, where an older woman came up to us and complimented us on how 'well-behaved' our children were. She said in all her years, it was very rare to see and that she wanted to come by to tell us we're doing a great job as parents! haha. (I think she was talking more about Dex's kids actually - not mine!) :P

Ottawa & Montreal!

We went on a mini 4-day vacation this weekend, heading to Ottawa and Montreal.

We had pretty good weather, which is always a factor when going anywhere. Our hotels for both cities were located in a great area - the Westin Ottawa was walking distance to the Rideau Canal, Rideau Centre and the Parliament buildings! 





And in Montreal, we stayed at the W hotel which was right near Old Montreal.

We toured more in Ottawa, which was nice, but because I used to live in Montreal and have done all the touristy sites... we basically just pigged out on all the great food! :)

It's funny because Ron hadn't been to Montreal since I lived there - when we were just dating! So to come now married with a kid (and a half), was a totally different experience for both of us. 

It was a great family trip and I'm glad to be able to show one of my kids where I used to live!

Darth Vader and son

Ron goes to the library quite a bit to pick up books for all of us. Today he came home with a book called Darth Vader and son by Jeffrey Brown. At first I thought it was a book for Jacen, but it's not! I looked through it quickly and thought it was pretty funny actually.... so I thought I'd share some of the pages. For all you Star Wars geeks out there... enjoy!  :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We met up and had Dim Sum with the family to celebrate. I hadn't had dim sum in a while, and was glad to fill my little craving!

Happy Birthday to my Dad!!

Mini Miss Diva Jaylene!

My family went to cheer my niece Jaylene on tonight at the Mini Miss Diva 2012 Pageant! It's a dance/beauty pageant and she did great! It's so hard to believe that my little 12-year-old niece looked so mature and so grown up!

I really enjoyed her solo hip-hop dance number, where she represented Filipinos by dancing to a mix of songs including Bebot, by The Black Eyed Peas.

Unfortunately, she did not win the competition, but she did win Miss Congeniality (for most popular - in other words - having the loudest family cheer her on!). haha.

We're there for you Jay!! Congrats... Tita's very proud of you!! :)

Meeting Adelaide...

We met up with Ken, Lilli, Camilla and their newest addition Adelaide (although not so new, since she's already 7 months old!). What a cutie! I haven't held a baby that small in a while... guess I should get used to it!

Oh, in case you're wondering what that bottom right corner photo is - it's the Jean Jacket Crew!

Tita Irma turns 60!

Our family headed to Super Buffet to celebrate my Tita Irma's 60th Birthday!

Since I've been showing Jacen the 'flashcard faces' of my entire family that I created.... he actually went to kiss and hug most of them while we were there! A lot of them were shocked that he came to them without crying. Maybe our boy's finally growing up (or he just gave up and finally accepted my crazy family). haha!

Happy Birthday Tita Irms!

Marley turns TWO!

Happy Birthday to Marley! We headed over to D&G's place today to celebrate the occasion.

The kids were all so cute, and Jacen enjoyed playing with them. Since it was a special occasion, Jacen was able to eat lots and lots of things: ice cream, cake, chips.... oh my! (things he normally isn't allowed to eat).

Happy Birthday Marls!

Brunch with Birthday girl Quel!

We took Quel out for brunch to celebrate her thirty-(cough cough)th birthday!

We went to Green Eggplant again since my last experience there was so good... and Ron and Jacen hadn't been there before so we all enjoyed the yumminess! We each had our own entrees and then shared the French Toast for dessert.... YUM!

Happy Birthday Quel!

Eric's 3rd Birthday!

We headed to Ev & Stu's place today to celebrate Eric's 3rd Birthday! Ev is one crazy momma planning a birthday party with her due date for baby #3 just nine days away.... you go girl!

It was fun! They had a bouncy castle in the backyard, and Ron and Jacen (along with Saads and Samara) decided to go and try it out. I think it was more fun for the adults than it was for the kids... hehe.

Thanks for the fun and games... and Happy Birthday Eric!!

Going to the EX!

We headed to the CNE today! My main goal was to EAT, because the 17 food trucks were there and I wanted to try them!! Unfortunately, it was waaaay too hot outside and there were lines, so I only managed to try one truck. :(

We went to the food building instead, and then went shopping at the Direct Energy Center to cool off (where I saw Chuck Hughes)... and ended up buying a new TV for our bedroom! After the shopping, we walked around outside as it wasn't so hot anymore and ate some more!! Good food day! :)

Happy Birthday Hubby!

We took Ron out for dinner after work for his special day! He was craving bbq ribs so we went to Baton Rouge.

I had soup, ribs and shrimp, while Ron had just ribs. What's wrong with that sentence? hehe. Preggo is hungry!!

After dinner, I ordered one of his favourite desserts: Key Lime Pie (very rare to find in most restaurants) and Jacen and I sang Happy Birthday to him.

Happy Birthday Ron! Hope you had a great day!

Yummy French Toast!

I met up with Quel at The Green Eggplant today for brunch (I didn't even realize they served brunch)... we both ordered our meals and then after we both finished, we ordered an additonal platter to share: the French Toast! Yummmy!!

Celebrating Shirley's 40th!

We celebrated my sister Shirley's big 4-0 birthday today! It was a surprise and I think we actually got her! There was TONS of food (including a full lechon), alcohol and DJ Weezy was spinning on the turntables all night, playing all of Shirley's OLD SCHOOL songs. It was fun!! We danced the night away, and even Jacen joined us on the dance floor! He raised his hands and was bobbing his head all night to the music (I think we have a future clubber here). Happy Birthday sista!

Grove City, Pennsylvania!

For the long weekend, Ron and I decided to finally check out Grove City tax-free shopping! We'd never been and my brother wanted to come along for the ride.

The place is huge (very similar to Woodbury Commons), and on our one full day of shopping there - the weather unfortunately didn't cooperate with us... it rained big time! While waiting for the rain to stop at one of the stores, however, we bumped into one of my old skool friends Marky Mark H. He was there for the weekend as well with his new fiancée! So it was a great time to catch up with him while we waited for the rain to stop.

It was a good trip. Jacen was good for the long drive (especially since he had my brother in the back with him to keep him entertained)... and he got to try bacon for the first time....mmmmm.... bacon!

Coming soon...JANUARY 2013!

I'm happy to announce that Ron and I are expecting our next addition to our family! :)

Baby #2 was made in Jamaica MON! YAH MON! Because of this little piece of information, we have been receiving suggestions on what we should name our second baby: Negril, Jamaica, Riu, and even Irie (which is the name of my brother's dog btw). FYI - the answer is NO to all these suggestions. We're very excited that Jacen will soon be a KUYA!

Three Years!

Ron and I celebrated our 3-year anniversary tonight by having dinner at Auberge du Pommier! We had the Peach Gazpacho, Shrimp Brochette, Filet Mignon and for dessert: Poppy Seed Shortcake and the Ice Cream Sandwich!! Mmmmmm..... so good!

Happy 3rd Anniversary Ron! It's been quite a journey already - can't wait to see what lies ahead! ;)

After dinner, I quickly headed to my brother's house as he was babysitting Jacen. I found the two of them walking as I drove by... it seems my brother thought Jacen would look 'dope' with a ponytail!! He said he looked like a samurai. I dunno about that!

Pool Party!

We headed out to Stage West Hotel and Theatre today for Mikael's 4th Birthday Pool party!

Jacen has never been fond of swimming, but we always hope that this time will be different. It wasn't different. He was terrified and cried just when I was changing him into his swimsuit!

But Ron was persistent and took him in the water with him. Jacen held onto Ron while crying for the first little while. Eventually, however, he got the hang of it and actually enjoyed himself by the end. We kept asking him if he wanted to come out, and he shook his head and wanted to stay! Ron ended up having some fun himself - he went on the water slide quite a few times... the men were trying to figure out who could go the fastest... boys!

Cousins visit from the Philippines!

My Ate Nona and Kuya Ton Ton visited us here in Toronto, Canada from the Philippines this week. They're the ones I stayed with when I travelled to the Philippines years ago, so it was great to see them again! It's always fun having family from the motherland here because it gives us an excuse to all get together!

We took them to Swiss Chalet as it's a 'Canadian' restaurant, Vaughan Mills and other places that I wasn't able to join them on. Most of the photos shown here is from our last get-together for them before they left. Safe travels cousins... it was nice seeing you guys again!

Rib Fest!

We met up with a bunch of people at Rib Fest this year! It was unbelievably hot out though, and for the kids' sake (and ours) we sat in the shade.

Of course, Rib Fest is always just an excuse to pig out, and that we did! Yum Yum Gimme Some!

A Magical Night!

Ron and I headed to Real Sports Bar & Grill tonight after work for a special private party! My bro-in-law Gary's younger brother Andrew Nicholson was to be drafted by the NBA tonight! It was so exciting!!

There was plenty of food and an open bar while we waited as they went through each draft pick. All of Andrew's family and friends were there to share this moment with him.

And finally... at the 19th pick, we heard David Stern on the big screen announce Orlando Magic's selection for NBA's Draft pick of 2012 as ANDREW NICHOLSON!! Everyone got up and cheered, there were hugs everywhere, and then the media went on to interview Andrew and his family. It was amazing to see it all unfold... how awesome!!

Looks like we'll be bringing Jacen to Orlando sooner rather than later! Disneyworld here we come!! haha

Lorna's Graduation Day!

Congratulations to my little cuz Lorna on graduating from the Human Resources Management program with high honours!!

This is her second diploma (she graduated from ECE a few years back), and yet... if you ask her what she wants to do next... it's insurance! haha. Yo go girl!

We all went out to eat after, and my little cousin treated us all! It's supposed to be US treating the grad, but she wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks Lorney, and Congratulations!! We're very proud of you!!

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day was spent at my brother's backyard for a BBQ! We invited our entire family over since it's been a while since we've all seen each other.

The food was dee-lish and the family was super funny as usual. They didn't realize that Jacen could walk already, and he had an entire backyard where he could show off his new skills. Hope you all had a good father's day!

Burgers and Ribs!

Ron had a boys night out tonight, so I decided Jacen and I would go out as well!

We met up with Quel and headed to The Burger's Priest for dinner. I've been hearing such rave reviews about this place that I had to try it! It's a very small burger joint, with lines going out the door. We got our orders and drove across the street to Kew beach and had a lovely picnic dinner. The line was worth it... that burger was yummmy!

Diana, Gerwyn and Marley joined us shortly after - the cycling family! There was a Rib Fest going on across the street with a live band so we decided to all go and check it out. The kids were able to walk around in the huge field and the adults all enjoyed eating ribs, funnel cake and corn on the cob! We even stayed out past their bedtimes! What a fun night!

Our Mother's Day Spa Day!

Di, Saads and I cashed in our Mother's Day gifts from our hubbies and all headed to Ste. Anne's for a lovely day at the spa!

We had a beautiful day. We checked in, then sat outside on the patio for a while waiting for our first treatment. I had an hour Swedish massage first. We then met up for lunch in the dining room.

After lunch, we put on our swimsuits, and sat by the pool for a little while to digest our meals and chat. Then we went into the pool to cool off from the hot sun. And then it was time for our second treatment. This time, I got a Seaweed body masque. It's supposed to help get rid of the toxins in my body. We then met up for high tea outside on the patio. What a perfect day to spend with some great friends! We're hoping to make this an annual event (hint hint to all the hubbies reading this). Next year: White Oaks!! :)

Family portraits!

My mom's birthday is the day after mine, so the entire family got together to celebrate!

We took her to Imperial Palace (a Chinese buffet restaurant). But before heading to the restaurant, we all met up at a park near the water for some family portraits! This is what my mom wanted for her birthday, since the last ones we had didn't include Jacen yet.

My cousin Leonard and his girlfriend Irene volunteered to be our official photographers for the day - thanks guys! It was a fun-filled day with the family. Jacen was exhausted - he fell asleep in the car on our way home, and then we just put him straight to bed!

The 'S' is for SUPER...

I had a lovely 30-something birthday this year! I woke up to a London Links package waiting for me! Ron gave me another charm to add to my bracelet - an 'S' (I always seem to sing that Supersonic song every time I see it - the S is for Super and the U is for Unique... you know what I'm talking about, right?).

For dinner, I went out with my favourite boys to The Keg steakhouse! Mmmm...mmmm...mmmmmm! We started with Crab Cakes, and then I had the Prime Rib with Lobster dinner (I think the waiter thought that plate was supposed to go to Ron since it was so much bigger than Ron's Steak and Crab meal). haha. We ended the meal with my favourite Billy Miner Pie dessert!! It was a lovely day! Thanks for all the birthday wishes that I received throughout the day all!

Mother's Day!

It was a busy Mother's Day weekend. Saturday we had lunch with Ron's family to celebrate at a Chinese buffet restaurant. And then on Sunday, we met my entire family at a Korean buffet restaurant!

We were definitely stuffed by the end of the weekend! For Mother's Day this year, my boys got me a gift certificate to Ste. Anne's spa!! Whooohooo! I will be spending an entire day with my gal pals for some R&R, complete with lunch and high tea! Looooove it! Can't wait!

Can't find your keys?

I thought we should have a spare key made since we didn't have one... so I sent the hubby to get one made. A few days later, I noticed this key on his key ring.

Too funny! The things they come up with these days... I thought it was hilarious (and a bit geeky), but that's my hubby!! hehe

I actually looked and the store where he had it made (Things Engraved), had a few designs you can choose from:

It definitely stands out when you have a bunch of keys to carry around. I think Ron's waiting to make 2 more keys to add to his set! haha

Irie Irie MON!

We just got back from a wonderful week in Jamaica! No worries, no problem mon. It was our first family vacation, and it was great to spend it with Di and Saads' family!

We just relaxed and ate and ate! We all got hooked on that jerk chicken hut conveniently located on the beach. It was great to spend some time with my gal pals too! The men seemed to have bonded quite nicely as well (I'm surprised they didn't exchange phone numbers at the end of the week). hehe

Great job planning this trip ladies! Looking forward to the next one!! :)

Yah mon... Jamaica mon!

We finally booked our vacation to Negril, Jamaica! I'm a bit excited and nervous at the same time.

This will be Jacen's first plane ride, so I'm hoping he'll be ok. What's even more exciting is that he'll have his playmates Marley and Samara with him on this trip! Yay!

It ended up just working out that we were all looking to go on a trip at the same time, and decided to all go together! Should be fun!! :)

Easter weekend...

Easter weekend ended up being busy!

Saturday we went to IKEA to get a set of table and chairs for Jacen. We put him down a slide that they had displayed there, and it was so funny - he had no reaction. Ron just pushed him down the thing, and I think he was in shock by the time he got down... he just laid there and didn't move! I then dropped them off at home because I had to meet my entire family (plus my aunt, uncle and cousins) to celebrate my parents' anniversary! We ended up taking them to a buffet dinner at the Great Blue Heron Casino. The prime rib was delicious, but the seafood which I was excited about, was a bit disappointing. There were 16 of us that came out, which was the biggest table they had at the restaurant that night.... if any of you have been to any of my family gatherings, we're not the quietest of the bunch.

Sunday we headed to Ron's sisters place for Easter. Jacen received some chocolates (which we will enjoy), bunny ears and some tattoos in an Easter egg. He was a big hit!

Monday, Jacen and I headed out to Buffalo for some cross border shopping with my sister and two of her kids. We've done this a few times now, so we have our routine (and our food choices) pretty down packed. And that was our weekend! Hope you all had a nice Easter with your families!!

Yum Yum Dim Sum!

After a late night (I didn't sleep until 3am), we got up early to meet Sebby and family for a dim sum breakfast! I always enjoy dim sum... small portions, and lots of variety...YUM!

We got all caught up, and we congratulated them on their second baby to arrive in August!! I think it's going to be a girl this time... I'll bet all my pennies on it!! hehe

My busy day!

My day started with an afternoon at Chuck E Cheese for Skyler's 2nd Birthday. It was Jacen's first time, and since we headed there around his nap time... he wasn't in the best of spirits.

He rode a few rides, but he was soooo tired - he had no expression, so I don't know that he enjoyed them.

We then headed to Vaughan Mills since it was nearby and we shopped for a bit, then headed to my cousin's place for the after-party of the 2-year-old. It was also our first time seeing my cousin's new pad, so it was a good fam jam!

We left early as I had another event to go to - my Today's Parent Group reunion!! It was held at The Olde Stone Cottage Pub, which is owned by one of my old TPGers. I was so tired that I wasn't sure that I should even go (it was close to my bedtime for goodness sakes!)...but as soon as I arrived, I was greeted by so many familiar faces. I laughed so hard that my cheeks and face hurt at one point!! It was hilarious to see everyone, and it honestly felt like we were back in time and it was just one of our crazy parties that we always use to have. I'm so glad I went! Good times!! :)

One-of-a-kind...

Saads, Samara, Jacen and I headed to the One-Of-A-Kind show today. I hadn't been there in a few years actually... I always like to go and get some ideas. I always like to think that I can do some of the items that they're selling on my own... but of course, I don't think I've ever attempted it. hehe.

By the end, Miss Saads bought quite a few things, while I was good - only bought food items!! YUM! Photos of Jacen and Samara flirting with each other shown above... they were making each other laugh, it was so cute!