Picasa Web Albums - Sam & Amberly

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California Donnells

While visiting Sam's family in San Diego, we also had a chance to spend an evening with some of my family that lives near Los Angeles. We met halfway in Carlsbad at a TGIFridays. I was finally able to meet several of my family members for the very first time! I was so fortunate to meet my cousin, Debi & her grandson, Alakai. And, I also met two of my cousin, Mike's, children... Jessica & Michael.

Jun 13, 2009

Photos: 11

Tennis Wednesdays

Our Wednesday tennis group at the International Tennis Center in Subic Bay, Philippines.

May 19, 2009

Photos: 14

Mother's Day 2009

For Mother's Day this year, I met up with Julie & Tamra at DBS Spa in Olongapo for a wonderful, relaxing 2 hour foot spa & pedicure. It was a great way to spend my Mother's Day afternoon.

May 10, 2009

Photos: 8

Dive 6

Dive #6 was at the landing craft unit near Triboa Bay in Subic. We had a great time exploring this wreck.

Apr 25, 2009

Photos: 13

Palawan - Day 1

On our first day of vacation, we flew out of the Manila airport at 7:30 am & safely arrived in paradise at 10:00 am. After a quick lunch, we decided to hike over to a private beach on the other side of Lagen island. Afterwards, we took advantage of the island hopping & cave exploration trip. We visited 3 beautiful islands within El Nido & 2 amazing caves. We had a fantastic first day!

Mar 1, 2009

Photos: 78

Amberly's Birthday Weekend

For my 32nd, Sam surprised me with an evening getaway in Manila. After finding beautiful roses & a chocolate cake placed in our hotel room upon check-in, we made our way to Araneta Coliseum where I was presented with tickets to a Peter Cetera concert. We had a great time being together & relaxing for an evening!

Feb 14, 2009

Photos: 18

Soccer Twins

Sydney & Samuel recently traveled to Angeles City with their Brent Subic Babybacks soccer team. They played against Westfield International School & did such an amazing job! Sam & I were so excited to watch our sweet twins play in their first game. They had a great time... and won!!

Feb 11, 2009

Photos: 22

New Year's Eve 2008

We enjoyed a fun New Year's Eve get together at Stephen & Julie Clifton's house in Cubi, Subic Bay. We played games & at midnight, watched a spectacular fireworks display over the bay from their beautiful deck up in the mountains.

Dec 31, 2008

Photos: 6

Nick's Meeting with Santa

Nick's class had the privilege of meeting Santa Claus at their school Christmas party. The kids were so excited to sit in his lap & receive the presents their parents had prepared beforehand. A great time was had by all!

Dec 17, 2008

Photos: 20

Nick's Christmas Program

Nick's lower school grades at school performed a wonderful Christmas program, complete with costumes & songs in different languages. It was so much fun watching these kids perform on stage & tell the story of Christ's birth. We are so proud!

Dec 16, 2008

Photos: 32

Treetop Adventure

After Mom & Dad arrived in the Philippines, we decided to take them, along with our Up With People visitors to Treetop Adventure one Monday morning. The kids were in school, so this provided the perfect opportunity for us to enjoy the jungle from 100 feet up in the air! Julie & Heather joined us & we all had a great time together!

Dec 14, 2008

Photos: 51

Up With People

We had the pleasure of hosting two wonderful girls from the world renowned organization, Up With People. Our kids quickly fell in love with Molly & Neele. We are so thankful for this opportunity & hope to have the chance again someday.

Dec 14, 2008

Photos: 15

Thanksgiving 2008

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with several friends from Subic Bay & Clark. We are so thankful to have such wonderful people surrounding us while living here in the Philippines!

Nov 27, 2008

Photos: 32

Camayan Beach - November 2008

We enjoyed a lazy Saturday afternoon out at Camayan Beach... swimming, snorkeling, playing & relaxing. Life doesn't get much better than the beach!

Nov 22, 2008

Photos: 21

Sydney's Chapel Performance

Sydney's First Grade class recently performed the Wednesday morning chapel presentation at school. They all did such a great job!

Nov 22, 2008

Photos: 17

Brent Cross Country Field Day

The kids proudly represented the gold team in Brent School's Cross Country Field Day. All 3 Espinosas ran their little hearts out & did a great job showing team spirit!

Nov 20, 2008

Photos: 35

Sam's Boxing Match

Sam's boxing debut...

Nov 16, 2008

Photos: 39

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We headed to Malaysia for a few days to spend the kids' school break in another country. We enjoyed spending a day at a great water park & an evening in downtown Kuala Lumpur. We visited an aquarium & the world famous Petronas Towers. It was nice to get away for a while & spend some quality family time together.

Nov 14, 2008

Photos: 60

Sutera Resort at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Our family took a Malaysian vacation at the end of October & the beginning of November. We spent the first 2 days in Kuala Lumpur then ended our vacation with a few days in Kota Kinabalu. We had a wonderful time in both places, but especially enjoyed the relaxing days in KK.

Nov 10, 2008

Photos: 58

Sam's 33rd Birthday

For Sam's 33rd birthday, we spent a night in Manila with friends. We played laser tag, went bowling & ate delicious food!

Oct 24, 2008

Photos: 36

Jackie's Birthday

For Jackie's recent birthday, we went to dinner at Mountain Woods Inn. We had a great time with new friends and even more fun when I pulled out the camera.

Sep 30, 2008

Photos: 17

Nursery A Lemonade Stand

Nick's nursery class set up a lemonade stand outside of the school cafeteria in order to emphasize a unit on money. They had a great time preparing the lemonade, pouring it into cups & serving it to their fellow students at Brent. Nicholas especially enjoyed ringing his little bell to draw students over to where they were set up. He was a great salesman!

Sep 24, 2008

Photos: 26

Monkeys at Camayan

We enjoyed a family day at the beach on Sunday. While there, the monkeys also decided to come join us.

Sep 23, 2008

Photos: 10

Nick's Pool Party

For Nick's 4th birthday, we invited his friends to the school swimming pool to enjoy an afternoon of fun in the sun! And, thankfully, the sun did appear. It was a beautiful day for swimming & the kids had a great time!

Sep 23, 2008

Photos: 52

Nick & Friends at McDonald's

On his actual birthday, September 23rd, I took Nicholas & three of his school friends to McDonald's for lunch. They get out of school at 11:30, so we headed straight for the golden arches. The boys had a great time playing with their Happy Meal toys & playing on the indoor jungle gym. He had a fun celebration!

Sep 23, 2008

Photos: 24

TI Dinner a.k.a "Prom 2008"

The three Subic Bay couples headed out in a cool rented minivan to a dinner hosted by the Texas Instruments managers. Since our husbands have been working insane hours, we decided this was our opportunity to dress up a bit & hit the town! Tamra convinced us we had to take "prom" pictures to commemorate the event. A little corny, but a lot of fun!

Sep 23, 2008

Photos: 6

Olivia Oink's Adventures

Samuel was privileged to be the first student to bring home his class mascot, Olivia Oink. We had a fun weekend taking lots of pictures of Samuel & Olivia for her journal.

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 26

First Day of Kindergarten

The kids were thrilled about their first day of Kindergarten at International School of Manila. Samuel is in Miss Cecille Higgins class and Sydney is in Mrs. Nat Ayling's class.

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 4

Baguio City

We enjoyed a long weekend in Baguio City with several other families from Texas Instruments. We stayed at Camp John Hay and enjoyed the cool, mountain air each evening.

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 77

Floating Restaurant

We stopped for lunch on the way to Baguio at a floating restaurant. Neat place!

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 13

Goldfish Park

We walked with our friend, Malay, to a nearby park in Makati that stocked goldfish. It was nice to get out & get some exercise, despite the intense summer heat.

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 3

Makati Skyline

Views of the Makati skyline from our hotel window

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 12

Manila Views

We took these photos on our very first Look-See visit to Manila.

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 15

Tokyo Airport

Here are some photos Sam & I took while waiting during our layover at the Tokyo airport.

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 3

Fort Bonifacio Shops

This is a beautiful outdoor shopping mall that we enjoy frequenting in Manila. Tons of room for the kids to run & neat stores to enjoy!

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 16

GNO at Murphy's Pub

Our relocation guide, Catriona Stoss, took us ladies out for our first GNO in Makati. We went to an Irish Pub for drinks, then to People's Palace for a delicious Thai dinner.

Aug 29, 2008

Photos: 5

International School of Manila

Here are pictures we took while touring the International School of Manila during out Look-See in June 2007. The kids attended school here from August 2007 to December 2007. Sydney was in Mrs. Nat Ayling's class & Samuel was in Ms. Cecille Higgin's class. They loved it & so did I!

Aug 28, 2008

Photos: 44

Rizal Park - July 18, 2007

Julie Clifton & I decided to fight boredom on one our early days in Manila & took the kids to what we thought was a popular nearby park. It wasn't very popular & it definitely wasn't very nearby, but we did fight boredom! The kids loved it & enjoyed exploring a little more of the Philippines.

Aug 28, 2008

Photos: 47

Feeney BBQ

The TI families spent a wonderful evening at Edwin & Cynthia Feeney's home in Angeles. The pool was refreshing, the food was delicious & the company was lovely. Thank you all so much for having us over!

Aug 28, 2008

Photos: 12

4th of July Party

Our Fed Ex friends, MP & Omar, invited us over for a Fourth of July celebration at their beautiful home! We enjoyed good company, good food & good music!

Jul 16, 2008

Photos: 11

Twins at Tennis

Sydney & Samuel are really enjoying their tennis lessons they've been taking at the Tennis Center here in Subic Bay. Their coach is Allan. He is really good & patient with the kids... even when they start whining & complaining that they're hot & tired. I love the fact that they enjoy playing & I really hope they will be able to continue taking lessons & play together as they get older.

Jul 12, 2008

Photos: 50

Fontana Water Park

In an effort to beat the summer heat, we are having to think up all sorts of fun activities for the kiddos. Thankfully, we have access to a great water park about 45 minutes away. It seems to have become our home away from home when the sun is shining! The kids love it & it's small enough that I can handle all 3 munchkins there by myself... for the most part! :)

Jul 5, 2008

Photos: 9

Juan & Pauline's Goodbye Party

Another Fed Ex family has left our dwindling group of ex pat families in Subic Bay. Juan, Pauline, Jacob & Marianna happily moved back to their home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. We will miss their sweet family terribly, but we know they are glad to be back in the land of Target! Here are some fun photos of our last evening with them.

Jul 4, 2008

Photos: 18

Fourth of July Hike

We started our July 4, 2008 by taking a 6 mile hike! It was quite muddy, but the weather was beautiful. Our halfway point was a picturesque rocky "river", according to the locals. (Personally, I'd call it a creek.) Sam & I decided we needed our photos taken in just the perfect spot, so we risked our lives (or so it seemed) to climb a rock overlooking the creek. I have to admit... it was worth it for the great background!

Jul 4, 2008

Photos: 6

Sunday Frisbee Football

Every Sunday afternoon, a group of us get together to play games on the school soccer field, rain or shine. We usually play frisbee football, but sometimes we play flag football and soccer also. These pictures were taken one Sunday evening when we played during a typhoon. Everyone had a great time, despite being completely drenched!

Jun 29, 2008

Photos: 4

Bats in Subic Bay

On the way home from a friend's house, we encountered the daily bat migration that occurs at dusk. The kids & I were in awe at how many bats were flying right over our heads. We pulled the car over & luckily I had my camera on hand. We probably spent a good 15 minutes trying to catch the perfect bat picture. Here are some of our best shots.

Jun 28, 2008

Photos: 17

Happy Father's Day

The kids & I drew Sam a Father's Day card outside on our cement slab. It was his biggest Father's Day card yet!

Jun 22, 2008

Photos: 15

Ocean Adventure Camp

The kids enjoyed a fun filled 2 days spent at the local Ocean Adventure water park. They were able to interact with a sea lion, swim next to a dolphin, feed baby sharks, hold a live starfish & so much more! They loved every single minute of their day & had so much to tell me each evening at home.

Jun 21, 2008

Photos: 34

Cade's Birthday Party

The Gulley Family threw Cade a fun jungle themed fourth birthday party! Here are some great pictures from the big event.

Jun 21, 2008

Photos: 15

Cinco de Mayo

Sam & I hosted a Cinco de Mayo party the weekend before May 5th at our new Subic home. Tons of people came to eat some delicious Mexican food, drink margaritas & enjoy each other's company. I was busy preparing my Dad's famous Spanish rice & making sure all the food was set out, so I didn't get very many pictures of our guests. Later in the night, we broke out the Guitar Hero & those who were still around got in on the action. I did get some great pictures of that. It was a fun night!

Jun 19, 2008

Photos: 16

Yacht Club Party

The Toddler, Nursery & Kindergarten classes at Brent-Subic were treated to an end of the year party at nearby Subic Bay Yacht Club. Each child got to make their own pizza. While the pizzas were cooking, the teachers handed out medals to their students. Nicholas was awarded with the "Most Energetic" medal. Hmmmm... I wonder why! Sydney was awarded with "Most Neat Worker". We've always known we had quite the perfectionist on our hands! And Samuel was awarded with "Most Creative", which suits his artistic personality just right! After the little ceremony, the kids ran outside to swim & slide. All the kids, teachers & parents had a great time!

Jun 18, 2008

Photos: 37

JEST Camp

Sydney & Samuel's Kindergarten class went on a field trip to the local JEST Camp. JEST stands for Jungle Environment Survival Training. The kids had a great time viewing all sorts of creepy crawly insects, birds of every color & beautiful plants & flowers!

Jun 18, 2008

Photos: 31

Pamalaklakin Trail to Pastolan Village

Every Friday, my friend Heather leads a group of us on a hike here in Subic Bay. Quite often, we hike up a trail that leads us to a small Aeta Village, called Pastolan Village. Here are some pictures of the local Aetas, as well as our hiking views.

Jun 15, 2008

Photos: 40

Kyler's Magical Birthday Party

We traveled back to Manila the first weekend of June to attend a birthday party for one of Nick's old classmates & best friends, Kyler. Kyler's family is very kind, very generous & VERY wealthy! I felt as if we had walked straight into Disneyworld! The party favors were extravagant, the rides were fun & free, the food was delicious and it seemed as if every Disney character imaginable was present. The kids (and the parents) had a wonderful time!

Jun 15, 2008

Photos: 7

Moving Up Day

After their special Disney performances on the last day of school, each class participated in the moving up ceremony. They have made so many wonderful friends at Brent International School & I am so thankful for the opportunity they have to attend here. The twins are looking forward to starting first grade in the fall & Nicholas is looking forward to just being in school again. He misses it! As do I!!

Jun 15, 2008

Photos: 27

Lower School Programs

On the last day of school, each lower school class put on a special program choreographed to a Disney song. Nick's class danced to a song from Lilo & Stitch. His friend, Cade's, class danced to a song from Madagascar. The second pre-K class danced to a song from Aladdin. And, Sydney's & Samuel's class danced to 2 different songs from Mulan. The costumes were adorable & the kids did an outstanding job! It was a fun way to end the year!

Jun 14, 2008

Photos: 44

Thai Water Festival

Some friends of ours hosted a Thai Water Festival party in April. The kids had a blast soaking each other & soaking the adults as well. Not a single person was spared! Except the deejay & his equipment. We are so thankful for fun friends here in Subic Bay!

Jun 14, 2008

Photos: 22

Solar System Presentation

Samuel & Sydney's Kindergarten class finished their study on the solar system by putting on a wonderful performance for the school. They each made their own posters, with a little help from Mom & Dad. They had to memorize their lines & did a fantastic job! Their excellent teachers both received congratulations from all the school faculty. We were all so proud of these smart Kindergartners!

Jun 14, 2008

Photos: 13

Daniel in the Lion's Den

Nicholas' Toddler class at school performed Daniel in the Lion's Den at their Wednesday morning chapel. Nicholas played the part of "the jealous advisor" and he did it well! The kids did a superb job, thanks to the leadership of their wonderful teacher, Mrs. Reyes.

Jun 14, 2008

Photos: 30

Air Supply

Ten of us all headed out to the Air Supply concert on Thursday, June 12th. We had a blast!

Jun 14, 2008

Photos: 25

Ultimate Frisbee Tourney

Our family ventured out last Sunday to watch one of our friends, Heather, participate in an ultimate frisbee tournament in Subic Bay. The kids decided to beat the heat & followed Heather into the ocean at one point to cool off. They are pretty fond of her & were excited to watch her play in the sand!

Jun 14, 2008

Photos: 23

Anvaya Cove

The kids & I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at Anvaya Cove, a fairly new beach resort about 30 minutes away from Subic Bay. The pools were gorgeous & the beach was beautiful!

Jun 13, 2008

Photos: 54

UN Day at Summit

Nick's preschool in Manila celebrated United Nations Day by inviting each parent to represent their country & culture. I teamed up with a couple of American moms & we pulled together a fun little table of things for the kids to look at, try out & taste. My cute cowboy enjoyed sharing all about the USA!

Oct 22, 2007

Photos: 6

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Sam & Amberly