The surprise for Liberty went on really good.

At first, she was really nervous since she thought we were plotting out something bad for her and Joyce gave terrible clues about the surprise. Joyce and Mae-Mae went looking for her everywhere in the place when it was already time for the surprise. They couldn't find her! And all the while she was just hidding inside her parents' room, shaking, sweating, so nervous from thinking that something really bad would come next, like throwing a bucket of stinky things on her so she could be mabaho - yes, she had actually learned to say that word, too, which means, 'smelly', in English.

In the Aplaons' kitchen, we were already waiting for the birthday celebrant to arrive. Ate Bel and Lee even cut out letters to form 'Hapi Bday Lib' for added decorations. They also made paper flowers stuck up on broomsticks. We had chocolate moose cake offered by my mom, and cookies-and-cream ice cream given by Mrs. Domingo. There are lots of assorted chips placed on platters and bowls which are arranged neatly around the moose cake. The letters stuck up on the sticks were placed on a side of the table behind the foods, or junkfoods. They even put out the laptop so we could show off that we were just practicing some songs instead of preparing a surprise.

While preparing, some of the little boys tried to peek in on the room. Well, you know what they got? They got a bad preaching from Ate Lee. Well, not really that bad but just a little favor of not telling anyone what they saw inside.

So, the celebrant finally arrived after some decisive persuasion from her mom - who only got to know about the surprise while eating lunch, told to her by my mom. I took a picture of her entering the door and we all sung "Happy Birthday". We offered a little candle lit for her to blow. Then we ate the moose - I got two slices. After eating half of the second slice, I was already full. We ate the ice cream which was already melting.

After all had eaten their share, we set aside the dishes and put the presents in front of Lib. We let her choose which one she would like to open first and when she guess the right content of the present she would get a spoonful of M&Ms. We gave out the clues as she selected the presents and she almost always gave the right answers. We teased her that maybe she had been trailing behind us when we all went out to the mall last night to make out the plots and plans for the surprise.

We apologized for leaving her out of the group last night. If she did go with us, it would spoil the whole thing.

Then when gift-opening was up, we cleared the table and had some chit-chatting and laughing - and sneezing, for me, after eating too many sweets! We had so much fun and I just hope she appreciated all our effort. It showed that she truly is!!!