MeEtInG tHe ArEvALo ClAn

I guess it was a great thing that I was sick so I wasn't really in a frame of mind to be nervous. We bought three cakes from Becky's Kitchen (Potato Almond Krunch, Mango Cheesecake and Black Forest... oh and yeah, they've increased their prices) to bring to the party. It seems that most of my Baby's cousins couldn't make it, because half of them are already living abroad, and a fourth of them are all in the province (some, as far as Dumaguete).

We were delighted by the kids tho... mostly, Jojo's nieces and nephews already. Check out the one-year olds vying for flower girl-ship...



Mayumi, the girl at your leftmost, is one year and five months old... and she's already listed as flower girl ever since Jojo and I started planning our wedding... non-negotiable too... because my Baby is so taken with this baby...

Naomi, the pretty baby in the middle... who turned one last November 4, would also make a wonderful flower girl... but since they're based abroad, am not sure if they'd be back by Christmastime next year.

Lastly, Jessica is turning one this December. Aren't her curls lovely? Her Mom insists that she has to dressed to the nines and walking-hopping down our aisle come December 28 next year... admittedly a stage mommy this early, Ate Joy has even offered to pay for her daughter's dress... and of course, can you really refuse someone so cute?

Oh and yes, Naomi is actually the (long-delayed) latest addition to the Arevalo cousins... and is actually the drooling TITA of both Mayumi and Jessica.

It was hard taking pictures of the adults, who of course were generally minding the kids. Everybody was relaxed and warm and friendly that I didn't feel left out. Meeting them just made me feel more in love with Jojo especially since I now see where he gets his humor and warmth. It also made me look forward to knowing more about his family and really being close to his cousins.

Jojo doesn't really have that problem with my family anymore, since whenever there's a family celebration, my cousins, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles all look for him already because i've been taking him to all family celebrations since we met, whenever possible.

His Tita Che (Naomi's Mom) also confirmed my Baby's story of sucking her toes when he was sleeping and still a baby.

And it still amazes me how BIG a Filipino family can really get... the more amazing thing being, that eventhough you sometimes have to catch up on things, the love is just always there.

I love Filipino families! And I loved my Baby's family! And I just know they loved me too!!!