Philippines,Travel & Kids

Birthday Picnic at Ayala Triangle Gardens

Picnic at Ayala Triangle Gardens

Luke wanted to have a picnic at Central Park for his birthday (he got that from one of his books about New York, haha!) But we don’t live in New York, so he got a picnic at Ayala Triangle Gardens instead! Close enough!

Luke 2nd Birthday 1-min

But wait, before our picnic, we had him blow his birthday cake first!

Days before his birthday, we would ask him what kind of cake he wanted. He would go from “Choo-Choo Train” to “Lightning McQueen” and back to “Choo-Choo Train” again. And because he couldn’t decide, we got him a Train + Lightning McQueen cake instead!

Luke 2nd Birthday 14-min

My mom-in-law brought a giant mocha cake and we just placed Luke’s favorite train and car toys on top. We also reused the cake topper we used for his 1st birthday last year! He obviously loved this idea! A proof that little kids don’t need expensive things to be happy!

Luke 2nd Birthday 2-min

Putting icing on his nose! Hehe. How time flies! *sigh* I can’t believe my baby bunny is now 2 . It feels like only yesterday that we were celebrating his birth and then his 1st birthday! Now he’s 2 and what a funny boy he turned out to be! He’s chatty, sometimes naughty and jokes around a lot.

I can’t wait to see you grow and know more about you, Lukey!

Ayala Triangle Gardens: Picnic Time!

Picnic at Ayala Triangle Gardens

Having a picnic in Manila isn’t as easy as it is say, in Canada. First, it’s hard to find pockets of green here in this city. Second, it’s usually excruciatingly hot! But thankfully, Luke’s birthday falls on January and the weather was perfect.

We asked one of the guards where we could have our picnic and he pointed us to this spot under the tree where he said it was cooler. Thanks, Kuya Guard!

Picnic at Ayala Triangle Gardens

Brought easy-to-eat food to avoid unnecessary mess. Hehe. Macaroni, pizza, garlic rice, fried chicken and of course, Luke’s favorite, nachos!

Picnic at Ayala Triangle Gardens

One of my closest friends, Angeli, and her baby, Mati, joined us for the picnic.

Luke 2nd Birthday 9-min

Seriously munching his chicken like there’s no tomorrow. He kept saying “crunchy, crunchy!”

Picnic at Ayala Triangle Gardens

Luke loves Mati. He usually doesn’t like sharing (something we need to work on!) but he didn’t mind sharing his nacho chips with Mati. Aww.

Luke 2nd Birthday 13-min

Teaching Mati to open his mouth when he eats. Haha. Luke is now an ahia (big brother!)

Picnic at Ayala Triangle Gardens iFlin Sleeping Bag

After our yummy meal, it was time to lounge and be lazy. Haha. Good thing I brought Luke’s iFlin foldable sleeping bag. He was so relaxed that he asked for his milk and that I lie down beside him for a story. This is something we do everyday at home. <3

Luke 2nd Birthday 7-min

My happy bunny drinking his milk. Aww. But our chill time was cut short because it started to drizzle! So we quickly packed up our things and ran back to the car. Once we got into the car, it poured like crazy!! Oh my!!

We really thank God for giving us favorable conditions when we were having our picnic! Only by His grace. Thank You, Jesus, for this birthday gift for Luke!

Things to Bring on a Picnic:

Luke 2nd Birthday 5-min

If you wanna have a picnic too, we suggest you bring the following:

  • Waterproof Mat: Protection from the damp grass. Got mine from a dept store in Osaka.
  • Easy-to-eat food: Preferably food that doesn’t require utensils, like pizza!
  • Insulated food container: Like our Tiger containers, to keep baby food warm
  • Ice packs: We use Profreeze packs (you can cut them into any size you want) to keep your drinks cool
  • Small pillows or sleeping mat: Optional, but nice to bring soft pillows or a sleeping mat, like our iFlin sleeping bag, so you can relax and lounge!
  • Tissue and a lot of wet wipes!

Luke 2nd Birthday 4-min

Tips When Having a Picnic in Manila:

  • Schedule it when the weather is cooler, like in December or January
  • Use reusable containers if possible and save the environment!
  • Make sure everything can be easily stored so that if it suddenly rains, you can pack up fast!
  • Bring an umbrella and be prepared for sudden weather changes!
(NOTE: THIS POST IS ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE LAST JANUARY 2017.)
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13 Comments

  • Reply
    Milka
    March 5, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    what a great family bonding activity! thanks for the idea! @catriciaa

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      March 5, 2017 at 3:14 pm

      Let’s do this next time! Hehe!

  • Reply
    Arleen Oboguin
    March 9, 2017 at 10:43 am

    Perfect family bonding. Ang sarap mag unwind kasama family mo lalo nakapag ganyan po ang ambiance ng lugar. ????

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      March 9, 2017 at 2:08 pm

      That’s true Arleen! Thanks for dropping by!

  • Reply
    Arleen Oboguin
    March 9, 2017 at 10:43 am

    Its the best place to feel relaxed
    @arleenoboguin

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      March 9, 2017 at 12:46 pm

      I agree!

  • Reply
    Kim
    May 12, 2017 at 11:45 pm

    Luke is SO freakin’ adorable!!!! I love his cars cake and the cake topper that says his name! You really go all out 😀

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      May 13, 2017 at 8:19 am

      The cake topper is actually from is 1st birthday cake (link)!! So it was recycled haha! The cars are really just his toys as well. We were actually on a budget! Hehe.

  • Reply
    Katie Mendoza
    May 17, 2017 at 7:36 am

    I never knew you could do this at Ayala Triangle!! I’m definitely having a picnic there soon!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      May 17, 2017 at 7:39 am

      Hehe, yaay glad to have helped!

  • Reply
    Angeli
    September 3, 2018 at 5:06 pm

    Huhu ang cute pa nilang dalawa dati!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      September 3, 2018 at 6:08 pm

      Huhuhu super small!!!

  • Reply
    mama_telyamzon
    November 23, 2019 at 3:46 pm

    The imagination of Luke is amazing. Picnic birthday celebration is so unusual for that early age. You amazed me Luke! ?

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