Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  It's been a long time since my last post.  I'm hoping that this post could give me some momentum that I need to sustain blogging again and sharing my fatherhood stories now that my kids are much older.

I felt so blessed today with these presents I got from my wife and kids.  Just knowing how much effort they put into these makes my heart so full.

Here's a video that Amanda made as she took time to collate my funny photos.

Here's Cassandra's home made Father's Day card.  She even greeted me in Ukranian since she's been studying this language in duo lingo.

...and from Camilia and Cali, I got this utility knife

Happy birthday Mommy Cali!

Just would like to thank and honor you for always taking care of us.  I know it's super difficult to stay sane with all the demands of motherhood and our growing Peek 'n Click business, but you stayed stronger and more beautiful than ever.

​To my #OTL, I love you and happy birthday!

They say that in school, you'll learn how to write, read, draw and other technical stuff.  Last weekend was full of new things to learn for me.

Man's Time vs. God's Time
Week after week, we're so good at filling up our schedule to the brim. There were cases were we put event coverage, photobooth service, attending birthday parties, family gathering and serving through CFC all in one day.  We're so addicted on being busy to the point that at the end of the day, when we look back at the things we've done, everything seemed to be mediocre. That things were done out of compliance and not aligned to what we were designed to do.

God took charge and made us stick to what is important.  Amanda got sick so we went to the Asian Hospital super early morning which is much earlier than the activity we're suppose to go to. Instead of going through a lot of activities for that day, we spent it with the kids.  That afternoon, we visited lola at the heritage to check out if our solar lamp really works, and then went to my cousin for Cassandra's shot.

God's Engineering
During our visit to Dr. Robles, my cousin and both of my kids' pedia, she told us on how a woman's body adapts to the needs of her baby.  Did you know that the breastmilk that moms produce contains the exact amount of vitamins and nutrients that her baby needs?  Like whey and casein proteins.  The right balance of these two substances make it easier for a baby to digest thus increasing her ability to resist infections. Formula milk tries to mimic these combination that's why you can see different types based on an infant's age.

Same Sex Marriage
This was also the same weekend were Same Sex Marriage was legalized in the US.  I would have to agree with Pope Francis' view that this is cohabitation rather than marriage and family life.  A family needs balance and by God's engineering, men and women although different, complement each other's existence.  And that these different roles are important to raise kids who will be the future of the society.

Last February 22, we attended the first Robles family reunion.  I would like to think that this was inspired by  mommy's passing as our Tito Exie (mommy's first cousin), realized that the family has grown so much that even the closest relatives don't know each other.  Btw, mommy's the eldest among the Robles cousins.

For me, the highlight of the celebration was the mass lead by Fr. Alex Balatbat.  Where he stressed that families fall apart when they want to get from others, what they can only get from God.

Three realizations I had during the reunion:

1. No comparison.  When we love our parents, or anyone in the family, there should never be comparison.  I realized that if we keep count of what we give to our parents, there will be more reasons on comparing what we did with what our siblings are giving.  This would form conclusions that we are giving MORE than what kuya or ate is capable, thus leading to resentments. To prevent this, have the initiative to give without expecting anything in return...love unconditionally.
2. Celebrities.  A lot of people asked me why I had pictures of celebrities and businessmen during the reunion.  I know that at the back of their mind they were asking if they were Cali's relative or mine (of course, I would say mine but no one believes me)
3. Legacy.  In the end, all our actions while we're alive will be carried on by our kids, grand kids, great grand kids, etc. This means that in all the decisions we make, no matter how tiny or big, it will always have an effect to the future generations.  I just realized, when was the last time I chose to sleep instead of playing with Amanda or Cassandra?  Maybe this tiny act might grow some seeds of deprivation of a dad's attention that could potentially make them insecure... which could lead to their inefficiency in leading people when they grow up... which could then lead to our country's downfall if for some reason they became president of the Philippines :).  Well, maybe I'm exaggerating but it is a possibility.  

It was fun that even in a small amount of time, we're able to connect with each other.  Hope this becomes a tradition so that even our great grand kids could still be connected to our roots.