BABY STEPS

How do you know your sons are growing up right before your eyes?

When you see them dance with a girl for the very first time.





These pictures of Lance and Troy dancing with their friend, Nathalie, were taken during the BIRTHDAY of another former classmate of Lance and Nathalie's, Roberto.

For more on the Cast of Characters, click HERE.


There comes a time in any mother's life when she has to accept the inevitability of her children growing up. Considering I not only took this picture of my son being flocked and smothered simultaneously by two girls...





...but that I also had the courage to post it here, in my blog, is proof positive that I am taking it all quite gracefully.


By the way, does anybody know if they still make smelling salts these days?

Because all of a sudden, I feel faint.


(PLUGGING: We take a detour to the A.S. STEPS as we head back to my alma mater, U.P. Diliman, on The Long Way Home" to 87 GENTLE STREET. Also updates in SERENITY and more orbs sighted in SIGHTINGS.)

GONE FISHIN'




Have I got a fish story for you.

Last Saturday, my husband, DON LORENZO DE MODESTO, celebrated his 36th BIRTHDAY. My stepson, Joey, was also with us for the weekend. With all four LORENZO's together under one roof, I was expecting testosterone overload and I got it. Yup, for Daddy's birthday, the men decided that we were going fishing.

I swear, Reanna and I are so outnumbered.

So on Saturday afternoon, we all headed back in the direction of San Jose to PARKWAY LAKE. We have always been curious about the place, even while we were still living in the Bay Area. We used to tell ourselves we'd go there whenever we passed it on Highway 101. Well last weekend, we finally made it.

Parkway Lake's close proximity to the urban sprawl of San Jose belies its reputation as a serious fishing spot. Who would believe that at any time of the year, this little reserve almost overtaken by suburbia could boast Rainbow Trout, Channel Catfish, and White Sturgeon, some weighing as much as 62 pounds? And you don't even need a fishing license to fish!

The main park is open until midnight during the summer months, but they had a separate attraction, called "The Sure Catch Pond", which closed its gates at 7:00 PM. This is a little concrete enclosure, separate from the main lake, which is regularly stocked with an inordinate amount of fish, and it was the main reason we were there.

The set-up was so simple, it was ingenious. $2.50 gets you in, parking, fishing rod, tackle, bait, and a bag for the fish included. You also got free instruction and assistance AND, (since this was being supplied by Joey's friend, Adam who worked there), the bonus of someone who had no reservations about picking up big, fat worms and arranging them artfully around our fishing hooks. That, alone, made the whole trip worth it.

You must be wondering if there is a catch to all this. Look no further that "the catch" itself, as in the fish YOU will be catching, which they charge you $4.50 a pound for. There's no way around it: you catch it, you pay for it. Feigning ignorance won't work, either. Signs abound by the pond, reminding everyone "There is no catch and release" at the Sure Catch Pond. And so, armed with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for beginners, we all settled down to do some serious damage to the resident population, our consciences clear in the knowledge that the fish was re-stocked on a weekly basis.


Clearly, the place was built with people like us in mind: a family of weekend warriors, half of its members under the age of six.

Joey was the first one to get a bite. Unfortunately, that was just about as far as he would get: a bite. We were partly to blame for that. All of us were so busy oohing, aahing and taking pictures of the huge fish hanging from his fishing pole that nobody thought to use the net and bucket we were provided, specifically for such moments. Aided by its great weight and gravity, the captured catfish snapped the line, falling back into the the safety of the pond.

Either that fish was really hungry (and really dumb) or it really wasn't its lucky day. Within minutes, Troy felt a tug on his line and asked Daddy to help him pull it in. What appeared on the end of his line but the same three-pounder his kuya caught earlier. How were we so sure? Because it was still sporting Joey's hook in its mouth. Perhaps it did have a death wish after all.

Troy ended up catching three fish that day, and Lance caught three more besides. Both of them accounted for the biggest fish in our haul, two catfish, each weighing a good three pounds or more. Lorenzo and I each caught a fish of our own but of course, Daddy was responsible for more than that, having cast and reeled in the winning lines for our two little boys. Joey did his share, manning the net, while Reanna was our one-baby cheering section.




By the time the Sure Catch pond closed, we had caught eight catfish. We took our bounty to be weighed in at the Bait Shop and they totalled 14 pounds. Not bad for less than an hour's work.

We asked Adam if he could clean the fish for us and he gladly obliged, deftly disposing of heads, blood and guts. I breathed an audible sigh of relief when the carnage was over. I'd forgotten about this unsavory little detail about fishing. Boy, was I glad I didn't have to do it. Another thing we failed to consider was what to do with all that fresh fish, more than a hundred miles away from home.

It was now after sunset, and I was willing to bet that my mother-in-law, who was our closest living relative in terms of proximity, already had dinner on the stove. So there we were, with fourteen pounds of fish in our hands, and we were starving. The irony of it all didn't escape me.

Since it was too far to head home, we decided to go to one of our old haunts, the New Luk Yuen Restaurant in Union City. At the very least, the kids could have their favorite longsilog. To my relief, it was still open when we got there.

The owner still knew us, and he greeted us warmly. I decided to go for broke. While Lorenzo was parking the van, I told him we just celebrated my husband's birthday by going fishing that day and we now had fresh catfish in the car. Would it be possible for them to cook a couple for us? To my relief, he said yes.

We chose the two biggest catfish of the lot, Lance and Troy's prize catches, and we bequeathed them to the owner. He emerged from the kitchen minutes later with this mouthwatering creation: Catfish in Mushroom and Bean Curd Sauce.




After dinner, we checked into the AmeriSuites in nearby Fremont, close to where Lorenzo used to work. Since it was more of a corporate hotel, they had a very reasonable weekend rate. We managed to snag a room with two double beds and a queen sofa sleeper in the living room, along with a generous-sized refrigerator. So there was ample room for all, fish included. Even Reanna had a playpen of her own!

We went down to avail of the hotel's free breakfast the next day. One of the things I really enjoyed about our overnight stay was the well-stocked hot breakfast buffet. I definitely see my family making its way back there again, just for the breakfast alone. There was something for all of us: cereal, milk and muffin for Troy, oatmeal with muesli for Reanna, and sausages, eggs and waffles for everyone else. Yum!

After breakfast, we checked out the pool and the fitness center before heading back to our room. We called my mother-in-law, who expressed interest in the rest of the catfish, to my utter relief. I already had nightmare visions of myself, clumsily attempting to skin the darn things, and they didn't paint a pretty picture.

Well...certainly not as pretty as this one anyway, of Daddy's Little Girl, all fresh and ready to go to Lola's house, where we ate ourselves silly all over again.




We headed back to Modesto later that day, bearing wonderful memories of Daddy's fun birthday weekend.

Happy Birthday Dad!

(PLUGGING: We make a detour to Whistle Stop on "The Long Way Home", to celebrate another BIRTHDAY with Lorenzo on 87 GENTLE STREET. And check out "GIRLS' DAY OUT", featuring Reanna and Mommy in SERENITY.)

(UPDATE: We just found out that Joey found a summer job, working with his friend, Adam, at PARKWAY LAKE. Congratulations, Joe!)

SUPER KULIT




I would never trade the tears
The conversations no one hears
The learning how to walk before we run...

-from "OF ALL THE THINGS" by Dennis Lambert


It's now the second week of school.

Troy still sheds tears whenever we leave him in his preschool, but he's getting better at partings. Lance, in the meantime, hasn't started bringing homework home yet. I somehow feel like I've been given a mini-reprieve of some sort.

So all is quiet in the homefront right now. A little too quiet for my taste.

I miss my two boys. I miss their hugs and I love you's, I miss their infectious laughter, heck, I even miss their bickering at this point! But most of all, I miss our conversations.

For indeed, who can forget such scintillating discourse, as exemplified in the following quotes from my Awesome Twosome:


TROY: Mom there was a teeter-totter in the park today.
MOMMY: You know, when we were younger, we used to call those see-saws.
LANCE: In the old days?
MOMMY: You make me sound like I'm ancient, Lance.
LANCE: Asian?
MOMMY: Ancient.
LANCE: That's what they called it back then?


(Daddy and Lance, looking at the Red Nova website)
DADDY: Look, here's a picture of a hurricane in the Southern gulf of Mexico!
LANCE: From Saturn to Mexico?


(Lance, looking at his World Map...)
"Mom, why do they call it the Indian Ocean? Indians don't live in the ocean!"


(Lance and Mommy do homework, identifying objects that come from plants)
MOMMY: You missed this, Lance. Flour. Flour is made out of...?
(Lance finishes Mommy's sentence with an air of the obvious.)
LANCE: Flowers!


(After watching the wedding scene in "Shrek...")

TROY: Mom?
MOMMY: Yes, love?
TROY: Are you and Daddy married?
MOMMY: Yes, Troy, Mom and Dad are married.

(Silence while my son ponders something, deep in thought. He breaks into a shy smile.)

TROY: Mom?
MOMMY: Yes, Troy?
TROY: Then you're a princess?


(Troy looks on curiously while Mom and Dad eat clams. He grabs a clam shell from the discarded pile, holding it to his ear, his look expectant, then irritated. Mom and Dad are still talking when they hear a little voice scolding them.)

"Shh...quiet Mom, I can't hear the ocean!"


Finally, the quote that sticks the most to my mind is the remark I overheard from Troy while he was watching his favorite show, "Zaboomafoo", on PBS Kids. This line that was such a gem, I just had to share it here...)

"Prairie dogs run faster than Daddy."

Bet you've never heard that one before!


(UPDATE: For Lorenzo's 36th birthday, we make a detour to "Whistle Stop" in Makati for a birthday story on "The Long Way Home" to 87 GENTLE STREET.)

SCHOOL DAZE

Dazed. Confused. Befuddled. Confunded.

Zombie-like. Inferi-ish.

Choose your pick. Any of these words can describe me now, as I try to get used to my household's new schedule. A much earlier schedule, I might add, since my two boys started school last Monday, August 1.

Lance doesn't seem to mind. He's always been the early bird among us anyway. He woke up bright and early on his first day of classes, dancing with excitement upon discovering he had another present from the tooth fairy: a Thomas the Tank Engine toothbrush.

He had just lost his second tooth the day before, and refused to smile for any of the pictures I took during our second visit to THOMAS. I was lucky to even catch a flash of these pearly whites with a wide gap in the middle.

The tooth fairy was democratic this time, leaving a toothbrush under Troy's pillow as well.

Lance felt this was unfair at first. After all, he had to shed blood and undergo a wee bit of discomfort to get his present from the tooth fairy. But when I told him the tooth fairy was just congratulating Troy on his first day of preschool, he seemed to understand.

Lance and I were the earliest to arrive at Mrs. Bray's class. My son lost no time in finding his desk, zeroing in on the big "Lorenzo" emblazoned on it. I also volunteered my services, copying and collating their first coloring book. I didn't mind, since it afforded me the chance to be a fly in the wall for a few precious moments. Unlike the Philippines, parents aren't allowed to sit in on their children's classes here in the States, unless they volunteer to help out.

Lance was being his usual precocious self, showing off his reading skills by reading his teacher's placards half a beat before the rest of his classmates. I heard Mrs. Bray praise him, telling him he might just be booted up to second grade because he was reading so well, and I felt flushed with pride.

I finished sorting and collating the books and said goodbye to Lance. I knew I had to head back home to get my second son ready for school.




Troy was excited to be starting preschool. Like his kuya, who didn't eat much before leaving home due to back-to-school jitters, Troy barely had an appetite during breakfast. Upon lining up for class. however, I heard the welcome words "I'm hungry", and I knew we were off to a good start.

The preschool parents were allowed to stay for the first thirty minutes, just for the first couple of weeks, to ease their children's transition to school. Needless to say, many tears were shed that day, and not just by the students. I could see quite a few parents dabbing at their eyes as well!

Troy wasn't kidding when he said he was hungry. He ate his lunch with a hearty appetite.

After eating, it was book time. I was happy to find a copy of "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn, an excellent book which deals specifically with a child's separation anxiety on the first day of school. I read it to Troy and placed a kiss and a sticker on his "kissing hand", telling him that we will be leaving him soon, but, just like Chester Raccoon's Mommy, my kiss will stay there, no matter what he does. And if he ever felt lonely, all he had to do was to take that kiss and put it on his cheek and he would feel better.

The parents were starting to go, and the kids' cries were getting louder, but Troy soldiered on stoically, all throughout circle time, even politely raising his hand to answer a question his teacher asked about the book she had just read aloud, "Spot Goes to School".

It was going so well that I decided to check up on Lance, whose first grade class was scheduled to end soon. I caught up with the group when they were just about to exit to the quadrangle, and shot this picture then.




Together, Lance and I marched back to Troy's preschool. The class was now doing manipulatives, and Troy had zeroed in on a tray of beads, threading them on a string of yarn, two to a color, and creating wonderful patterns. He was so intent on the task at hand, he didn't even complain when I reminded him that Mommy, Daddy, Lance and Reanna had to be going soon.

I guess we should've made our exit then, while he was still busily distracted by the stringing activity. But Lorenzo and I just had to push our luck, wondering how long we could hang around before the teacher threw us out.

Big mistake. By the time we said our goodbyes, it was already time for outdoor play. I could see Troy's face starting to fall when Lorenzo bent down to kiss him. I motioned to my kissing hand to remind him of the story we read earlier, but no logic could get through at that point. All he knew was that Mommy and Daddy were leaving him, and the tears finally came.

We beat a hasty retreat, every inch of us wanting to stay but we knew it was impossible. So we ran some errands, just to kill time, and made our way back there at three o'clock.

It was over. Lance and Troy had survived their first day of school, both of them none the worse for wear. We were so happy, we headed to McDonald's to celebrate. (By popular demand, of course!)




By the time all the kids were settled in, chatting gaily over their french fries and chicken nuggets and sliding down the tube slide using our food tray as a sled, Lorenzo and I started to relax as well, both of us still getting used to the idea that we now had two children going to school. Indeed, both of our sons seemed to have sprouted overnight. Where did all that time go?

As we watched our two boys, playing boisterously with Lance's kindergarten classmate, Jermey, their first day jitters all but foregotten, it was obvious that the day took more of an emotional toll on us, their parents. Because at that point, we were just glad it was over.

After all, it was our first day too!


(PLUGGING: SLIDING DOORS. We head back to the day we first met and ponder on the question "What if?" on "The Long Way Home" to 87 GENTLE STREET.)

(UPDATES: SCHOOL BUZZ in SERENITY, and anniversary orbs in SIGHTINGS.)