Pumpkin Carving

One very well cleaned out pumpkin

With my Filipino relatives being here, my husband has been excited to share with them some American traditions.  He constantly wants to share with them new experiences such as non-Filipino food, taking the bus, carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating, Thanksgiving....the list can go on!

The most recent experience he was able to share with them was pumpkin carving. Before Halloween we had picked up several pumpkins.  I'm not very creative and I remember when I was little and my mom not really into pumpkin carving because of the mess. As a result, I like the end product, but I'm not a big of fan of the process to get the carved pumpkins. On the other hand, my husband is very creative and doesn't mind a mess, so he enjoys this Halloween tradition.

Cleaning out the pumpkins and setting aside the seeds to roast them

One weekend before Halloween we invited my extended family over for breakfast and pumpkin carving.  Everyone enjoyed their time and I was pretty impressed with their creativity. It took the whole afternoon and everyone got into it. They listened to music, chatted, and were intensely focused on their creations.  I am so grateful for my husband wanting to share new experiences with my family.

My kids and their cousins with the completed products

Almost Wordless Wednesday--Cousins!

One of the cool things about having our Filipino relatives move near us is that my kids can get to know and spend time with cousins on my side of the family. My cousin S celebrated her 18th birthday on Sunday. We celebrated by going out to lunch and then an ice cream cake back at our house.

Here is a sweet picture of Bug with her Filipino cousins. I love this picture.

Celebrating S's 18th birthday.  S., SL, and Bug

The Asian Invasion

Twenty-five years ago my mom petitioned for her brother to come to the United States. Just over a year ago that request was granted and in the wee hours of the morning, my uncle, his wife and his two daughters took their first trip to the U.S. It was a surreal experience.

After many delays, including an 18 hour delay in Manila at the start of their journey, my Filipino relatives finally arrived to their new home. My parents had worked hard on the paperwork, spending endless hours filling in applications, talking on the phone, and scouring the internet. Their hard work finally came to fruition.  My mom, for the first time in her life, has family living in the United States. Just ten years ago (about 17 years after she had left her home to begin a new life in America with my father) my mom began taking regular visits back to the Philippines to visit her family. But it never seemed it would happen to have her family join her here. And now here they are. (Though her parents, three sisters, and brother are still in the Philippines).

This will turn our world upside down in a wonderful way. My mom has her brother and my kids and I will get to know some of our Filipino relatives. This is an exciting adventure. I hope my cousins will journal about their experiences here. Here's to family! Cheers!