Sorry it's been a while!

Wow! We've been back home for over a month now! Can you believe it? We miss the cousins very much though and enjoy talking to them on the phone. Whenever I hear Ninang's voice, I start shaking my head "No." And, poor Tita Elma, when she hears my voice, she gets very sad, especially when I say her name. We'll see you soon, don't worry! Let's see--every since Teetah and Uncle Nonz's visit, every time I hear voices outside, I think it's Uncle Nonz or Lolo! But I am learning my other uncles' names--I often call "Don-nee" and I call cousin "Dahn-ni." I can say sentences now!!! Yes, all of this happened in the last month. Whenever I accomplish something, like turning on the DVD player, I say, "I deed eet!" Or sometimes if you ask me a question, I shrug my shoulders and say, "Aywyn no" (I don't know). I'm also starting to add "a" to my sentences, as in "A puppy" or "a cow." I just love music, especially when I see it on tv. Tonight, I turned on the tv to some jazz and I started singing along. Last night I saw an opera singer on tv and was fascinated with that too. I also like sports (Dad's happy about that), and when I see a basketball game, I tell the players to "Go, go!" Just like Dad.

The weekend before last, after Teetah and Uncle Nonz left, we went to Dad's coworker's kid's birthday. I'm pictured with Dad's coworker's son, Vincent. He's a couple of months older than me but already has a little brother! Come on Mom and Dad, hurry up! (Mom says no). Dad and I jumped around the moon bouncer and slid down the slide. The food was delicious but the day was a bit cold (sorry, no snow). Then, we visited Apo and Granma. After the weekend, we visited Tita Gladys way up in Lancaster (no, not Pennsylvania, but in the desert). It was cool to see all the joshua trees and the hills and we could actually visibly see the San Andreas fault. Mom got treated to a much needed pedicure and was so happy to see Tita Glads. The next day, Mom and I fed the ducks at the park. I threw bread at them, and Mom had to keep me from jumping in the man-made pond and joining my quacking friends. Then we played in the playground but I was much more interested in kicking dirt than going on the swings. We visited Apo and Granma again, but only briefly. We had to get the car done, and then we left and visited Ate Krista. We ate delicious food at Tita Mel's and Uncle Romy's. They must miss my friend Daniel very much since he went home to the Philippines. Then Mom started school on Monday, and she's been preparing for class every day!

Mom started teaching again, and I'm hanging around with Tita Mags, Tita Cars, and pretty soon Tito Romy (who just got engaged, congratulations!). Even though I cry when Mom leaves for class, I have fun. Today, Tita Cars taught me how to say, "Dude!" to unsuspecting undergraduates, and kick the foliage around campus. She was swinging me around and I kept yelling, "More more!" but as soon as I saw Mom coming, I pretended that I was crying the whole time. Boy is Mom exhausted from the week...and it's only Wednesday! We wish Tita Elma could stay with us, but what about Jada-da? Hugs!

I promise to update real soon!
love,
Gavin