Online Confessions of a Stay-At-Home Mom: Sonny's Bowling-and-Billiards Birthday Party!

October 2 was a fun! fun! fun! day for the Bayot clan as we gathered together once more for Sonny's 9th birthday! If Jeth's birthday celebration the month before was more "impromptu", his brother Sonny's was (somewhat) planned in that he was given time by his parents to think about and choose where he liked to celebrate and whether or not he wanted to invite friends over. Sonny decided to have his party at the Bowling Center in SM North EDSA and opted to invite "just the family".

I was super excited! Aside from the fact that I always look forward to seeing my cousins, I was excited to be playing bowling again. Just 4 months ago, I attended a party at Strikes in Palms Country Club (for Haley's birthday), but I didn't get to go bowling. Probably because they turned it into a "competition". Oh no, no, no! :) Anyway, it was my husband who competed then, and who eventually reached the semi-final round.

My cousins' idea of a bowling-and-billiards party is just...pick a lane, get a bowling ball, and throw...choose a pool table, and then hustle-away. Bowl-all-you-like and anything goes! So everyone, especially my sister and I, weren't pressured whatsoever and felt "secure" enough to play with ease. It's like, all 30+ of us just decided to get-together that Saturday and play bowl or billiards. Thank goodness for my clan's tendency to "just chill". :)

Everyone had so much fun! Some (like my cousin, Kathy) were even playing 2 or 3 lanes at the same time! I was playing bowl but during breaks, I would go running in the pool table area with my daughter Maia and her cousin Andie. As a result, I got tired easily and it affected my game (yeah right! as if!?..hehe).

Then came the time to eat. And there was food everywhere! Mostly finger food...different kinds of pizza (pepperoni, seafood, cheese, all-meat, etc.), french fries, chicken lollipops, fish sticks, and cheese balls. There were also pasta dishes in all types of sauces -- tomato (with meatballs or seafood), olive oil, pesto, garlic, etc. There were salads, cake and sodas. My husband Cupid proclaimed the party, "The best party evaaaahhh!" because he really enjoyed the food prepared by Napoli Pizzeria. It was really simple but delicious and filling. John Dee and Pia (Sonny's cool parents) ordered so much that almost all of us got to take home even more food.

Overall, it was a REAL fun and stress-free day! Simple. Laid-back. Very "Familia Bayot" in nature (and lack of organized execution...hehehe). Just my kind of thing. :)

To my cousins, John Dee and Pia, thank you for always finding ways to get everyone together in one place. You outdid yourselves again! Ooooh, I can't wait for Baby Bella's christening next month! I'm sure it will be big! :)

Sonny my dear nephew, you are really lucky to have such gracious parents! Stay as sweet as you are! Happy Birthday!

To our relatives abroad...we miss you! Come home! In the meantime, try to enjoy these photos :)

Godspeed!

My niece Ilka on the laptop (logged on to facebook, I'm sure! hehehe) | My brother Marc, checking his score

My aunt and Sonny's Lola Arlyn looking on | My very happy brother, Mikko, who played bowling for the first time that day and LOVED it! :)

My pretty Maia | "Oh no!" says her Auntie-Ninang Gay

Pretty Baby Bella (Sonny's only sister) sitting on her pink throne :) | Now, why is Nanay Annie sleeping at a party inside a noisy bowling alley? I mean, how can she!? :)

Potent Pairs...

Left: The gorgeous women in Sonny's life (Mom Pia and Lola Arlyn) | Right: Auntie Ivy and Cousin Tor :)

My Cupid and My Maia....Mwah! | Baby Bella smiling at her Tita Mia (yours truly) :)

Maia wants me all to herself now :)

Tremendous Trios...

Soriano family! | My sister Jaja, our Yaya Annie, and yours truly :)

Mama Mia, Maia and Andie (the girls were admiring the lights in the ceiling..hehe) | The Birthday Boy with his parents, John Dee and Pia :)

Yaya Annie and 2 generations of Dela Cruz ladies :) | Jaja and hubby Mark thought this would be a decent photo...no thanks to John Dee and his accomplice-wife Pia (harharhar!)

Presenting the hustlers...

Top photos (L to R): (1) Dax Bustamante; (2) Ram Bustamante; and (3) El Suprema Gay Bustamante

Bottom photos (L to R): (1) Dax and Ram Bustamante; and (4) El-Supremo-in-training Jeth Bustamante

Hey guys...any relation to Billiard Hall-of-Famer, Django Bustamante? (Hehehe...Joke!)

Other evidences from the scene of the crime...

Clockwise from upper-left: (1) the bowling alley; (2) everyone getting into the spirit of things; (3) shot of our score board...can you see the "X" beside the letter "M"? That's yours truly making a strike on my first throw...seriously! And then it went downhill from there... hehehe :)

Everyone was in bowling action...

Taking easy strides like these -

By my brother-in-law Mark | Nephew Ikee | Brother Marc :)

By my cousin Kathy | And Brother Mikko :)

And moi! (What do you think of my form?) :)

And by doing a back-flip of the foot like these...hehehe :) -

Clockwise from upper-left: (1) Maia's Yaya Ann; (2) Birthday Boy Sonny; and (3) my cousin, Gay :)

And now the food...

Trust me, there was more food than what I've shown here. We got so hungry from playing, and the food was so yummy, Cupid forgot to take a photo of our favorites like seafood pizza and seafood pasta. Food from the A Venetto/ Napoli chain is just consistently good!

The Bayots turn really "uuuuuggghhh!-ly when they're hungry...so, we took time-out from playing to eat!