the test results

this was alex in the morning right before going to kindergarten. i took photo of her showing the place of her missing tooth (which she lost the other day).  she was in a very good mood.  it had gotten even better in the evening...

i was so anxious since yesterday about the results of the entrance test she took last thursday.  while i was out doing groceries with andy, i got a very surprising phone call.

while i was looking at the vegetables, an unknown number registered on my mobile.  i didn't recognize the voice on the other side but she knew me and said: hi minela! alex passed the test!  at first i thought the call was from the school.  i was so shocked, because the results weren't supposed to be released until the following day.  it turned out, she was one of the expat mom friends i have.  her daughter also took the test.  she couldn't wait for the results and went to the school personally to find out.  she asked to see the list and surprisingly, they showed her together with the names.

i was really happy but still shocked.  i wanted to see the results just to confirm that i wasn't dreaming.  i kept checking the website since the evening.  then the morning... mid morning... before lunch... until i decided to go with hubby to the school.  the results were still smoking hot when we came to the school.  we even spoke to the lady who was posting them.  later, i learned that the results were supposed to be posted after lunch.  my bad! :D

anyways, i was almost teary-eyed seeing that alex had made the cut and how well she did in her tests. even on the day of the test, i was so proud at how well alex handled the whole thing.  in my mind, even if alex didn't make the cut, i knew she'd done well.  it was a no brainer, i had to run to the mall to get her presents.

congratulations alex!!!  keep up the good work!

alex the pupil

alex lost her first tooth today.  and another one is soon to follow.  she will be turning six in two months and soon after she will go to elementary school.  i know i have said this a thousand times before, but i don't think i have said it enough: time goes by so fast.

last thursday, alex took the entrance test for the international baccalaureate english primary years programme (ib-pyp).  daddy and myself were so nervous that day.  we both went with her, together with andy.  then when we were queuing for registration, i could feel alex's chest beat like crazy drums.  it was so nerve-racking. i was particulary nervous.  there were about 80 candidates and only 20 will be accepted. i really want her to be accepted in this program because it's our only option for an english-based education.  and the best part is, it's a state school (read: free education).

the test was in two parts.  she did the school preparedness test and interview. then there was a written test.  i was really happy when it was over.  i feel and am confident that alex did her best.  moreso, she seemed to have enjoyed it.  she even made a mock test for me at home which was similar to what she did. now, we just need to wait for the results...

good luck alex!

alex writes and spels?!?

i heard alex and karol in their bedroom talking while i was still in bed. i didn't realize what they were doing until andy and i went to their room after they left for kindergarten.
alex likes to draw. most of the time she forgets to clean up and leaves her work on the table. this morning was no different and as usual andy got hold of her work. i've saved many of her works many times before, but this was the greatest save so far....

now i realize, what the fuss was in the morning. alex was asking karol what words he would like alex to write for him. see how many words/names you can recognize! :))

sick day = play day at home

the biglets were sick and had to stay at home for the whole of last week. the only good thing about it is that they can play with mommy, daddy (when he's not at work), and of course andy. alex usually likes to draw by herself. sometimes, she also likes to boss karol around into playing a diner in a restaurant, a student in school, or a sick cat. it usually starts nicely, but most of the time it ends up into a fight. sigh!

so one day, mommy had to think of some way where all three piglets can play together. we all built a tower of blocks. well, sort of! karol built a truck while alex and mommy patiently waited for andy to put a block. in the end, only alex and mommy was left. alex was so amazed at how tall the tower is. i had to take pictures of her with it. and, thinking the tower was taller than her, she had to tiptoe at one of the pix. :D

filipino songs

alex used to be able to sing "ako ay may lobo, "bahay kubo" and "sampung mga daliri" with her own funny thwang. however, over the course of time and since she's out of practice, she has forgotten the lyrics.

a few weeks ago, she learned the jollibee counting song in filipino. and last week, she asked me to teach her again "bahay kubo." she hasn't memorized the whole song yet. but she would sing bits and pieces of it from time to time. one time i heard her singing and it went something like this

bahay kubo, kahit munti
ang halaman doon ay sari-sari
singkamay at paa

cool song, ain't it?! :D

five year old alex

on the day of her birthday, i took her to the old town to go to church. unfortunately, we went to the wrong church and wasn't able to hear mass. on top of that, the shoes she was wearing gave her blisters. i really felt so bad for her, as we had to walk a long way until we got to the pharmacy to buy plasters, and finally to the shoe shop. we got her a new pair of hello kitty sandals to save the day.

afterwards, we headed to mcdonald's for her happy meal lunch and had ice cream right after. since we missed the mass, we dropped by at our church to say a little prayer. then, we went straight to pickup karol from her old kindergarten.

it was the first time she visited there after she left last december. she was so excited to see her former teachers and classmates and yet, she became a little bit shy when everyone gathered around her. it was a nice feeling seeing her happy there. we were lucky that they accepted her back (plus karol) even if they were full. we just need to wait for the doctor's go signal so alex can go back to kindergarten.

in the evening, we had a simple dinner and of course a cake. but alex had to pretend to blow her candles since we didn't have lighter nor matches around the house. (sorry, mommy's fault) then she got a boxful of art supplies from mommy and daddy. she was so overwhelmed and couldn't help exclaiming, "wow! so many!!!"

two days later, she had another celebration with two of her closest friends and more family of course. she got nice presents.

* thanks to julinka for the littlest pet shop cat doll which she now takes to bed every night.
* thanks to natalka for the paint your nails barbie. another addition to her collection.
* thanks to tita lucia and tito peter for the microphone that allowed her to sing more.
* thanks to babka for the vaccuum cleaner which she so loves.
* thanks to dedko for the scooter she's been wishing for for a long time.

two more days later, she got the best ever birthday present. finally, after months of waiting the doctor gave the go signal... and tomorrow (oops! it's actually already today), alex will be going back to kindergarten! yay!!!

* thank you LORD for another blessed year!!!

yesterday, today, tomorrow...

it's past 12 midnight so it's already alex's 5th birthday. i just finished the last touches for my very first fondant birthday cake.

i have been trying to teach alex the concept of date and time for quite some time now. she already knows the days of the week and the names of the months. but i think, she hasn't fully grasp what yesterday, today and tomorrow mean. most of the time she refers to the past as yesterday, whether it be last week, last month or last year. :D

yesterday morning, at breakfast, i thought it would be good to try to explain to her that tomorrow is already her birthday. while i was doing a monologue, she looked at me and asked,

"so mommy, when will it be three-morrow?"

then she gave me a mischievous smile, and i couldn't help but laugh and hug her. happy birthday my dear little, funny, smart alex! :)

alex's bests

yesterday we cut karol's hair for the summer. no more side parted hair. i will really miss that boyish hairstyle :(. now, he's a skin head and he looks almost like a different boy. or in alex's words, "he looks like a boy that is without a name karol."

--ooOoo--

in the morning, alex was having snack in the kitchen while i was cleaning up. i gave her a slice of banana bread which i baked last night. then she wanted to tell me who are the best ones for her...

"you are the best, for baking delicious cupcakes and cakes.
karol is the best, for finding a merry go round one time*.
babka is the best, because she takes me to playground everytime.
and daddy is the best, because he likes mo all the time."

*this happened almost two weeks ago. we were shopping in pandorf outlet store when karol disappeared. daddy found him outside by the playground in one of those merry go rounds where you drop coins.