Missing You

"Where's mommy?" my daughter asked as she entered the room this evening.

"She went out to run an errand," I answered. "She should be back in a couple of hours."

"Aww," she whined, obviously disappointed. "I really miss her."

"Don't worry she'll be back just before your bedtime," I said, though my answer obviously did not pacify her.

"Okay," was her long-faced answer.

"Papa?" she then smiled after a long pause. "But do you know where she keeps her iPad? I just wanted to borrow it from her."

Kuya?

We always insist that our daughter address her brother as "kuya," as a gesture of respect.

"Your brother is older, more mature and you should honor him with the name," I told her this morning.

"Nah," she replied after some thought.

"I think I will just call him... 'dude.'"

Stickers for You

Bela showed me two heart stickers she put on opposite thumbnails.

"The left one says 'I love you, Papa' and the others, 'I love you, Mommy,'" she declared.

"How about for Kuya," I ventured to ask.

"Oh I don't want to waste my stickers for him."