LEGO

Lego was one of the other toys that Thaad enjoyed the most as a little boy in the Philippines. Lego was more expensive so when we came to the US, I agreed to have him bring his Lego. Once, a friend of Bong from the office learned that he has a son who likes Lego, she volunteered to give a set that her son never opened. Assembling this castle took him a while. Lolo Buddy was visiting us for Christmas with Lola Fe and he helped him a little bit with the castle but Thaad did most of the work. Later, he overgrew with the Lego and handed them down to cousin Andrew.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Batman

Thaad was a fan of Batman. He had a few Batman toys but left all of them with his cousins in the Philippines because I promised that we will buy new ones when we get to the US.... and this is the only one I bought him... and then he moved on to Pokemon.... then Yu-gi-oh...

Candidly,
Dang S.

Elementary

Gem & Jas both went to St. Michael's College in Iligan for their elementary education, although they both did not graduate from the same because we had to move to Manila to be with Bong, who was already working for OnLine Phil., where they continued to go to school in San Lorenzo Ruiz in Paranaque. After a year, we came to the US.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Sabolboro kids... mga siga sa Del Carmen (Del Carmen mob lords)... this includes DJ too.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Suzuki

Our ever reliable Suzuki... Bong's ride to work and our ride everywhere else. In front and on the gas tank would be Gem and Jas. Seated next would be Bong, the driver. Then Thaad and myself. We all fit... until the kids grew bigger than me.

Candidly,
Dang S.

FF

I found this old photograph with the Ocampos. This was a pose for remembrance before the Ocampos left Iligan (and us) for Cananda. Who knew that our paths would cross again? Friends forever?

Not in picture: Bong-he was the one taking the picture; and Keith-he was not yet even made.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Pumpkin

Our first pumpkin carving experience. I settled for the more traditional pumpkin face while Thaad did a more complicated one. Done about three days before Halloween, they decorated our porch. With a lighted tea candle on each of them, they glowed during the evenings. We were proud of our work.... until Halloween, when the pumpkins were so dried up and were no longer shiny.

Candidly,
Dang S.

DJ Sabolboro?

DJ is the neighbor's son but since he was the only child at that time, it was more fun to be at the Sabolboro's. Every afternoon when Bong comes home from work, Jas, Gem and Thaad race to meet their Dad at the gate... and oh, DJ included.

Candidly,
Dang S.

A Page From My Scrapbook

One day, Thaad was asking where that picture of him cutting paper with a pair of scissors was. Here it is... it has a place in my scrapbook. He tells me that he has a vivid memory of this event... What?! He was only two and he thought it was the coolest thing to be able to use a pair of scissors. It was like... "Yes! Success!"

Candidly,
Dang S.

Cooling Off

Timoga Spring Pools in Iligan was a favorite weekend hangout. The cool water from some mountain spring filling the swimming pools was always a refreshing comfort during very hot and humid days. No matter how crowded the pools were, it was always an enjoyable activity for the kids. Here, during a short break from the swimming, Gem shows her cute smile... even forgetting that she was missing a tooth.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Bad Hair Day

Gem was born with a lot of hair. She laughed a lot.... but then, she cried a lot too. Every evening, starting at six, I would start dancing around the house with her in my arms to calm her down. A colic baby, I needed to constantly rock her until she is overcome by sleep and peace would reign in our house once again.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Thaad's Ride

Like Jas and Gem, Thaad had his first years of education at St. Margaret Child Learning Center. He was good friends with Kitty, Teacher Daisy's daughter, and they always sat next to each in other in class. He'd go to school in the usual service bus while I would drive Jas and Gem in our ever reliable tricycle (we call, tri-sikad).

Candidly,
Dang S.

Little Whims

Jas had this special pillow, a gift from Lola Dia, that she can never sleep without. It traveled with us, no matter what. It became so much of a baggage dilemma that it gave us an idea --- we would bring just the pillow case and use it to cover the pillow that she would be using somewhere away from home --- and it worked! Gem, on the other hand, did not care if she was wearing hand-me-downs or playing with not-so-perfect toys like this copycat Barbie doll with missing arms.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Ring Bearer

Thaad as Uncle Joey's and Auntie Gemma's little ring bearer. Well dressed at three years old, now at 18 and a high school senior, he is voted as the class's best dressed male. Hmmm... better believe it!

Candidly,
Dang S.

Pool Fun

Who said we cannot have fun in this crowded pool?

Candidly,
Dang S.

In Action!

No, it was not Thaad's birthday. It was EJDennis's... Thaad was just tasting the frosting. Yum! Oh, how good that was. Oooopppsss!

Candidly,
Dang S.

Precious

Jas, Gem, and Thaad. Those were the days...

Candidly,
Dang S.

Hearts <3 <3

Sharing a ride... or a drive. Friends for 21 years now. My girls.... "Chance made them sisters; Hearts made them friends."

Candidly,
Dang S.

Boys!

Sabolboro boys... my boys! XOXOXO

Candidly,
Dang S.

BFF

BFF?... or cohorts of mischief?

Candidly,
Dang S.

Mamma Mia!

What's up with those over sized sunglasses, Gem? The third graders needed sunglasses for their intramural performance and she forgot to tell me. Somebody lent her these goggles... somebody with a big face?... or is Gem just too small?

Candidly,
Dang S.

Beach Bums

In Iligan, the beach was always the best place to go to during the weekends. The kids love the salty water, the sandy beach and the refreshing breeze. Additional bonus is when they meet some friends and get to hang out with them. In picture with Jas and Gem are the Aberilla girls, JC and RC.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Teaser

"Ate, stop teasing your brother!" was not an uncommon phrase in the Sabolboro home... that is until Thaad grew bigger than his Ate.

Candidly,
Dang S.

The Look Of Love

Everyone says that Thaad takes his looks from Bong... my family thinks he takes from our side. Take a good look and decide. But that really does not matter, does it? What matters is how he is being loved.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Here comes Thaad...

Thaad was 8lb.3oz. at birth. He was the cutest big baby... well... that is according to me. Gem couldn't contain her joy when we brought Thaad home. She agreed to sleep in the other room with Ate Jas but then, she would always come back to our room to check on the baby. She was just so in love with her li'l bro.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Welcome, Gem!

The day Gem and I came home from the hospital, Jas was so happy. It was love at first sight... but I guess that love was not enough for her to share her pillow with (we travelled with this pillow, otherwise, the nights would be sleepless). Although, sometimes she would put the pillow over the baby as if to lend it to her... this, we would watch closely. Other times, we would catch her pinch her tiny nose. It's just a big sister's love...

Candidly,
Dang S.

Little Lady J

Jas had the looks of a sweet and well behaved little girl... but be not fooled! She was the voice (or the fist) of the kids who did not belong to the popular group.... and I was the proud mommy.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Run, Gem, Run

Gem was walking on her own before she turned one. But eating was not her thing. She was small and often tripped on her own foot. Bong and I never thought that she would grow up strong enough to be interested in anything sporty. But guess what? In high school, she rowed, she played tennis and she danced. At home, she cannot keep still... she just goes and runs around the block... and she is a talker too.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Smile...

No, Thaad did not get into a fight. This was when he lost his first tooth. Here's how I did it: I tied a piece of thread around the already very loose tooth. Then, he decided he did not want it pulled out... that was when he suddenly moved his head sideways... and voila! no more tooth. The tooth fairy paid piso for that tooth.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Thaad's Crib

In 1986, at the height of the contractual workers' lock down strike against NSC, I was almost ready to give birth to my first child. Bong, being unable to get into the plant to work, constructed this crib. We painted it yellow and white because we were unsure of the sex of our baby, which proved to be a wise choice because we had girls... Jas and then Gem. Then the crib went on an adventure... from friend to friend to friend... home to their precious little ones too. At one time, it was repainted, it became blue and white. That was great because soon after that, we had to get back the crib... and yes, I had a baby boy this time.

Raise your hand... you, who slept and played and p#@*d on this crib!

Candidly,
Dang S.

Ahhh... School

Jas was barely three but she really wanted to go to school. This photo was of her first day... waiting outside our apartment for the St. Margaret mini school bus. It was not raining and neither was the sun so hot... the umbrella was just to 'show off' and to compliment her excitement. On her first school day, she bravely went alone... no need for daddy or mommy.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Apple of Daddy's Eyes

Jas at three years old was Bong's perfect little model. Here, taken outside Cafe Hermoso in Iligan City with just an apple for props (or payment)... smile!

Candidly,
Dang S.

Jas and Gem are 1 year and 5 months apart. As little girls in the Philippines, Jas was always regarded as bigger/taller than the girls her age. Gem, on the other hand, was so little, she gets away with punishment. We used to have these descriptions for each of them:
Jas : Katawang sapat (translation : just the right size)
Gem : Katawang payat (translation : not enough size)
Now, Gem has caught up with Jas... and amazingly become the more active and atheletic one.

Candidly,
Dang S.

We Match!

Just hanging out in their favorite spot, on our little porch, and in their favorite attire, matching house clothes. Lola Tit always made them matching house clothes and they would be very happy every time they get a package from Lola Tit. They would wear them until they were really worn out.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Follow the Leader

Usual day for Jas and Gem at our Del Carmen home. Ate Jas always the leader and Gem always happy to follow. So who's prettier? This has always been the debate between our friends, Francis & Gigi, former sweethearts now Mr. & Mrs. Patalinghug. I'd say, they both are! ... they are mine, you know.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Mission Possible

Why not Joshua? Well, when I was still carrying this little boy inside me, I told Bong, "enough with Joshua!" because it always turns out to be a girl if he insists on the name, based on experience. During that time also, I never miss my favorite TV series 'Mission Impossible' who starred Thaad P. (I am not sure about the last name anymore) and I thought the guy was really cute. So, that was how Thaad came to be.

Thaad is the first Sabolboro grandson. One day, Tatay Lito, Bong's dad, surprised us with a visit... just to see his little boy. This picture was taken during our weekend picnic at the beach. Grandpa and grandson talk... they understood each other.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Bath Time

This could have been my Joshua but I decided that if we prepared another name for my last pregnancy, it would just turn out to be the boy we hoped for... and that is how we had Thaad.

Bong and I were both working at National Steel Corporation and I always saw to it that I have had given my baby(ies) their morning bath before I left for work.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Daddy's Gem

Bong always wanted to have a child named Joshua. We could not use the name with our firstborn because I had a girl. So when I was pregnant for the second time and everyone was excitedly telling me that it would be a boy, he thought he could now have a Joshua. But alas! came out a little girl. Who could not love a baby with that face? She was a gem... she is a gem... and we call her Gem.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Ms. Muffet

"The eensy weensy spider..." Jas was always willing to pose for daddy. Only equipped with his Canon EOS 650, a stool, and a very cute model and.... click! click! click!

Jas did not need clothes. At home at our Andrada compound apartment in the Philippines, she was commfortable in just her diapers. One day, we went shopping at Gaisano Dept. Store, she was feeling so hot, she started to take off her clothes. After a while of sweet-talking her, she finally decided that her nice dress was worth showing off.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Game of Fencing

One day, Thaad and his best buddy, DJ, decided they wanted to play a game of fencing. Aha! They each took a bamboo stick from the garden, the ones that were used to guard Lola Carling's (DJ's grandma) new plant from the animals. No one was watching and they were having so much fun until Thaad got hit on the forehead by the pointed end of DJ's stick. This happened when Bong and I were at work. The grown-ups inside the house were now in panic mode. They were concerned and afraid and did not know what to do. Here's Lola Carling's first aid:

1. Washed the wound with soap and water.
2. Pounded some garlic and added a little vinegar.
3. Applied the mixed condiments onto the wound.
4. Tightly put band-aid and wait for dad & mom to get home from work.

Sounds like a recipe for inon-unan? Of course, we brought him to the doctor when we got back from work. And I guess, Lola Carling's potion worked because doctor said the wound would heal well.

What a cutie! This picture and the scar on his forehead will remind Thaad of his happy days in Iligan.

Candidly,
Dang

Small Package

Bong's other [unpaid] model was this little princess. Aptly named, she was daddy's gem (also mommy's)... she still is. Born the longest (or is it tallest?) among my three babies, we expected big of Gem... or...maybe not so. She was tiny... hmmm... how was she able kick her pediatrician, Dr. Alagar, so hard he had to lean on the wall for support, when he was about to stick that needle in her arm? She was small... she got in trouble in school for putting a boy on the ground because she just wanted to defend Ate (big sister) Jas who was then much bigger than herself.

Do not judge by the size... Gem, help me lift this BBayan box. 'atta girl!

Candidly,
Dang

Stand Up

Looking through old pictures, I found this of very young Jas and Gem together with neighbors, JanJan and JD (Escudero brothers). I showed this to Jas and her comment: "Look at me at the back. I look like the kid in the movie 'The Grudge'... just at the back there and looking mean."

Looking back, Jas was always in trouble in preschool for biting another kid or punching another kid. I remember Teacher Daisy telling me, "she did it but if you look at her face, you want to believe she did not." And always there is a story behind the trouble... she was standing up for those who were too good to stand up for themselves. That's my girl!

Candidly,
Dang

My Little Calendar Girl

There were no digital cameras yet. Bong was just a budding photographer. It was one hobby that cost a lot. But since it made my husband happy, I agreed to buy his first camera, a Canon EOS, which he still keeps. This is one of his first photographs of his favorite subject, my daughter, his daughter, Jas.

It is an old picture, frayed and scratched, it is a reminder of the art that has been put aside to make way for some other things that can't be put off for now. He says, "someday....".

Candidly,
Dang

P.S. This is a post from my other blog, Kalidadis. I like looking through old photographs and remembering events that go with them. I thought a blogspot dedicated to such will be like a scrapbook, not necessarily replacing it, serving as an e-memento for the generations that will follow mine.