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When Alyssa grows up, I want her to know how important it is to look back and stay connected to her Filipino roots. I have seen kids who were either born or who grew up here in the US that are totally westernized and I think to myself, how lucky am I to have grown to know my own culture and tradition. That makes me unique as a person. So when people ask me why I teach my daughter Ilocano (aside from Tagalog), I throw them back a big “WHY” question. Why would I not teach her? Why would I not share with her the opportunity to learn about who she really is and where she really came from? If there is something I can give her as a young child to learn from, it is NOT only the knowledge to speak two languages and extra dialects BUT also the chance to experience a wonderful culture not all American kids have.

So this I want her to know… she may sound funny now for using different languages/dialects in a sentence, but for her to know what they mean and convey what she wants to say is something I am very proud of. It will pay back in the future one way or another…

Yup… SLEEP! That’s what I want to do today. Last night, I woke up at two and can’t get any sleep anymore! I think it was because I had a big cup of coffee around 12 midnight. It is one of those things I just cannot say NO to. Plus, we got some Knott’s Berry farm cookies yesterday. They are good with coffee or tea. Speaking of tea, my Mom keeps telling me to opt for tea instead. ‘Tried it. Didn’t work at all! I think she is more worried about me acquiring diabetes specially that it runs in my family. Hopefully Alyssa will be better when it comes to drinking coffee. Right now, she doesn’t really drink soda. Only when she sees either one of us drinking. She loves water and juice… and I am very proud to say, she is not a “chocoholic”. Neither is she fond of candies. In fact she hates sweet stuff. That’s good for those pearly white teeth!

Now on this picture, you can really tell she too is an island girl. I remember when I was working, some of co-workers call me Island Girl. Most think I am from Hawaii. Yes, I am tanned and I so love it! Alyssa is kind of tanned too but a little on the lighter side. In the Philippines, FAIR SKIN is beautiful. When I migrated to the US, that was when I really learned to be so comfortable on my own skin. People spend way so much money just to get the perfect tan… and I do not have the problem blending in!

My Father-in-Law and his wife are coming for a vacation on the 27th. In a way, I am actually looking forward to having someone look after Alyssa so I can start on a serious job hunting. We still have to wait couple of weeks but I guess it is all worth it. For now, I am staying put and enjoying every moment with the little Princess. It can get a little hard somedays but most often, I can handle it gracefully and at the end of the day I feel satisfaction with whatever I did.

This photo was yesterday when we went out for a walk around the block. She looked really cute on this photo that I had to crop it to emphasize her pretty smile. She just knows how to brighten up our day!