1st Day of School Happenings!

Hey, it's June! It's back to school for my two girls! Erika's classes started last June 13, a Wednesday! We both woke up early that day, she was pretty excited and I could sense a bit hesitant to go to school, especially since she's going a new school and she's now in Grade school! Well, I guess her Daddy and Mommy's presence made her a bit confident since usually parents are allowed to accompany their children to school during the first day of school! We arrived just in time and being newcomers, we didn't know where to go at first! Fortunately, there were lots of teachers inside the campus giving directions and information on where students need to go! And my sister, Ena was there with us (her kids are old students in the same school) to lead us as well. At last, we found the area assigned for Grade 1 students, and boy, was it jampacked with students and parents, each busy looking for their assigned Class Sections and finding the right line to fall into! Finally we found the line for "Polite Section"! We were already way at the back of the line, and my daughter and I were both perspiring already because it was really very humid and although we were in a covered area, I guess besides the hot weather we have nowadays, the magnitude of people in the area added to the extremely uncomfortable heat! Then, it was time for them to go to their respective classrooms bringing in tow their ("neat-looking", of course!) brand new bags (trolleys/backpacks) and lunch boxes loaded with all the school books , notebooks and other materials they were expected to bring! We were right behind her till she got inside her classroom, which is, by the way, at the second floor! I wonder if my daughter would be able to pull her "quite heavy" trolley bag everyday all the way up to her room! As soon as all the students got settled in their own seats, their new class adviser introduced herself to her new students and began checking attendance to see whether everyone on the list was already in class! It was then after that, it was announced that the class would be dismissed by 11 am just for that day, being the first day and then, parents were asked to leave their kids and just come back at dismissal time! Erika seemed quiet in her seat, I guess, a bit conscious being a new student in a new school! But then, she seemed all grown up too... nodding her head (as if telling us: "Okay you may go!"), when I signalled her that Mommy and Daddy will be leaving her for now! Well, now that my daughter is in Grade school, its a bit different from the past years first day of schools while she was in pre-school! No more crying blues, no more "I wanna stay with Mommy!" or "I wanna go home!" cries! Then again... i think, my daughter is really ready for school and I'm sure pretty soon, she'll be confident to learn new things and happy to meet new friends in this oh so very new environment!

June 18, a Monday, marks the first day of school for my little Bianca! She's now in Junior Advanced Casa! Her class is not until 10:30am so I woke her up around 8am (though she actually woke up around 830 na!) and her school is just beside our house so ther would be no travelling time or traffic to worry! After eating her breakfast, she took her bath and dressed up for school! Before 10 am, I think she was all dressed up and ready for school - I guess pretty excited too to meet her old friends and classmates and to meet her new teacher as well! We were a bit early for school and first thing we did was to check which section she belongs! This year, she's now in Lychee section (wonder whoever thought of giving "lychee" for a class section?!). In a couple of minutes they were asked to line up according to their class sections and then they were off inside their respective classrooms! It was posted that their class for the first three days of school will only be till 12nn! (Lucky for me, our house is just beside the school!) I left Bianca in school and came back for her at 12 noon. My little girl, Bianca, though only 4 years young, I can say, is just as ready for school as her Ate Erika! Happy to meet old and new friends and I know, confident enough to learn & discover new things! Now that school is back, I guess' us parents would be looking forward to helping with homeworks and projects, doing reviewers and helping them study for quizzes and exams again for the next months or so!

Missing Papa!

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day! Once a year, every third Sunday of the month of June we pay tribute to our Fathers, we express to them our deepest appreciation for providing us with all our needs, for protecting us from danger and harm, for teaching us different things in life, for being our "all-time hero" especially when we were still small! Everytime this time of the year comes, it makes me miss my Papa even more...in a weeks time, it would be exactly eight years ago that he has left us to join our Mighty Creator up above! But even though he's no longer here with us, that doesn't mean he has stopped being my Papa! I know, deep in my heart that he continues to watch over us! I admit it was really hard at first to accept that you are gone especially since for all of my life, you have always been there for me! That's the one thing I am most proud of, you have always been there for all seven of us and of course for Mama, too! That's why I miss you terribly! Sometimes I can't help but imagine how it would have been have you not left us, and I surely hope you got the chance to see your apos from me... your sixth child! I know you'll love them for sure and I know, just like Mama, sometimes you'll get annoyed as well, especially when the kids are making too much noise and scattering things/toys around the house or when they are having their once in a while tantrums!

To those who don't know my Papa, let me tell you something about him! He's such a responsible and caring father! Though he may not be that outspoken in letting us know how much he loves and care for us, you'll feel it right through you by the things he does for you, by all the sacrifices and hard work he endured just so he can provide us with the best things in life! He's also our "handyman" at home, he likes fixing things around the house (kahit minsan hindi nya kaya ayusin, or ayaw pang aminin na hindi nya magawa!), he takes good care of our cars (making sure he checks the engine regularly and maintains it in its tiptop condition, imagine... tinutuyo n'ya pa pag-naulanan, pangit daw kasi ang salamin ng kotse pag natuyuan ng ulan!), waits for us 'till we are all home for the night, and a whole lot more!

That's why we continue to celebrate Father's day.... in honor of my dearest Papa, of course and as well as my brothers (who are all dad's too - though the three of them are all in the U. S. now) and my brother's-in-law and of course the father of my children... my dearest husband! We went to Loyola to visit Papa after hearing Mass and then had our usual Sunday lunch at home which was of course, extra special since it was after all a special day!

Papa, I know wherever you are now, you're happy and at peace! I just want to say "thank you" for being my papa, for bringing us up the way you (& Mama) did for we will never have turn up to way we are now had it been not for you, your guidance and your unconditional love for each and everyone of us! I do miss you a lot, however, your love and memory will always be here in my heart.... and I will forever be grateful for having you as my Papa!