the kids and i spent our new year differently this time-- with my sister, honey, and her husband, ping, and their kids at their farm. the initial idea was to have a quiet and "nonviolent" way of welcoming the new year, without our own fireworks, but just watching the city in fireworks below, but with kids around... well... ping couldn't resist! : )
we went there in the morning of dec. 31. the road to Brgy. Alangilan was smooth but from the barangay up to the farm, it was like riding in a moon buggy, with large stones and craters as obstacle course material. still, we had fun! we adults were getting groggy and nauseous but the little ones were tickled and giggled so, while the older ones didnt even notice as they were so engrossed in their multi-track conversations.
reaching the clearing of the farm itself, though, was well worth the wild ride. as it was on elevated terrain, the air was suddenly cool and fresh, and letting the kids out of the van was like letting long-held prisoners out of jail! : )
as we adults settled in, the kids had the run of the place. when they saw the home-made pool at the back of the house, they immediately stripped and changed into their bathing suits and dove. the littlest one, ella, just stripped naked and climbed down into the pool! : )
while the maid prepared lunch, honey went into the bedroom for a nap and ping had to go back to the city for business (he was to come back later in the evening with the generator and other stuff). i volunteered to watch the kids in the pool while i read. i laid the sleeping bag on a grassy spot and opened my book, even as i watched them from time to time.
after a while, the big girls suggested exploring the trees beyond the clearing and the two little boys jumped up to follow. i was left with bea and ella giggling and splashing about. after a while, i couldn't resist my self, changed into my bathing suit, too, and had fun with the little mermaids.
that's all we did, swam, or walked around, or climbed up the mezzanine floor to watch the whole city below, then ate, then went back to what we were doing, then ate, then did other things instead, then ate. i was careful to stick to my newfound resolution in "reveling in my perfect weight" though... : )
in the afternoon, the little ones had fun running around chasing a chicken. the boys then went into a clearing to follow a goat, and came back with redd retching from some leaf stuck in his throat. apparently, the boys tried to eat what the goat was eating too.
in the evening, ping came back with a bang. he rode into the clearing "shooting" fireworks all over the place with the toy gun he was holding. all the kids, especially the two boys, ran to him and begged to play with the fireworks immediately, even as dinner was spread out in the candlelight, and ping said he wanted to get the generator going first.
well, anyway, somehow, everything got done at the same time-- the generator got going, even as the boys now started shooting their own toy guns. then we had dinner together, after which, the girls retreated into the bedroom to rest (thea slept, having stayed the whole night up the night before working on her role play sites stuff on the net) while the little ones jumped back into the pool for a night swimming session.
while waiting for midnight, thea, bea and i somehow fell asleep in the bedroom, along with ella, while the others set up a bonfire outside and toasted marshmallows and hotdogs.
we were awakened by Tarzan's (ping) wild cry, with the copycat howls of redd and paolo following close behind. it was 12 o'clock midnight, already!!! : )
and then, ping let out his secret stash of more and grander fireworks and the kids were beside themselves with the loot, even as honey and i just watched them having fun, and the resplendent glory and earthshaking sounds of the fireworks going off in the sky from our otherwise quiet spot and the city down below.
Tarzan howled again with a Happy New Yeaaaaaarrrrr!!! and the little monkeys followed suit, too. we burst out laughing when a far-away voice from somewhere answered, Happy New Yeaaaaaarrrrr!!! back. : ) : ) : )
everyone, except Thea (who was still sound asleep) and i, had midnight snack and slept at around 3am already.
we woke up to January 1, 2006, full of good feelings and warmth and joy. what a wonderful way to start the year off!
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