Last weekend I had a chance to attend to Ate Amanda's PTA meeting.  The only experience I had with PTA was when my Mommy attended a PTA meeting when I was in elementary and I just tagged along since no one will take care of me.

So for my first PTA, I was late for the general assembly.  But good thing, I was able to join the break out session where parents for each level will have an election for the officers of the PTA. Not that I wanted to be an officer, but I just wanted to see the dynamics of how interactive the parents of the grade one students are. 

The activity was started by the AY 2016-2017 President.  Which by the way ended up being volunteered to be the new President as well.

Then, there was the introduction of the Grade One teachers.

And then, they asked all the parents to do a quick introduction... I was doubtful it would be quick as I think there are more than 50 parents inside the classroom.   I contributed largely on the "quick" introduction and thankful I was an introvert and was proud to be able to do a 30-second introduction.

Then the election... it was a breeze.  Just ask for volunteers OR volunteer someone.

I didn't volunteer as an officer.  But one thing's for sure... me and the Rookie Mom will do our best to help out as much as possible on all the activities that would make our daughter's stay in the school much better.

The POST PTA
So after the meeting, I had a chance to stop by at the Art Exhibit.  First time to deliberately have an art appreciation time.  This is really helpful being a photographer as well to be inspired by other artist's work.  The faces are quite creepy though.

Can't believe our little Ate is now in a big school.  She's both excited and anxious on her first day.  Good thing this song from Elena of Avalor boosted her confidence:

Elena:
A new school can be scary at first 
With unfamiliar faces
New rules, new teachers
And lots of unknown faces
But school's just a new world of problems 
Puzzles for you to solve
So you don't have to worry
There's nothing you can't resolve...

What's more encouraging is that she has her little sister Cassandra by her side.

The little Ate Cassandra showing Ate Amanda their Lego figures that they built.  They already have names for each of the characters.

And of course, the bunso was there to support her big Ate.

A great shot by Mommy Cali while Ate Amanda goes to the gate.

Entering the room, she saw her name tag on the table and quietly sat down on her seat.  As a parent, you can observe different personalities of each kids in the room.  Some are restless, some are quiet and some are just observing as everything seem to be new to them.

Then it was time for parents the go out of the room but before leaving we said "bye Ate and see you later".

On our way out, little Ate Cassandra requested for a picture with Rapunzel.  This is a rare picture of her smiling.

It was a great experience for us parents to have one of our kids go to a big school.  Here are some things I realized: 

1. Facing Fears - In life, we face a lot of challenges where there are a lot of unknowns yet we have to brave through it in order to grow.  Nelson Mandela said "...courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it".  And this was what Amanda did to bring up her life skill a notch higher. 
2. Lifelong Learning - When I was studying, I was used to cramming and playing the school game in order to get good grades... Hopefully that changes with my children so they would go to school because of learning and not because of grades. 
3. Changing Times - I was used to OHPs when I was in College, but now Amanda has LED screen in their room.  Well, regardless of the technology, what's important is on how the lessons come across the students.  Even if Augment Reality becomes a basic educational tool in the future, what's vital is that kids learn faster and better.

Our long weekend started with Ava's vaccine with Doc Yan.  Ate Cassandra was prepping our bunso for her challenge.

They goofed around and pretended to be minions.

It seems Ava's all set and relaxed here...

What could be more comforting than a mother's kiss.

The two Ate's imagination at work again.

How about a wacky pose before heading to our next destination.

So on to our Artsy adventure to Art in Island, an art museum where you could be part of the art, a haven for selfie enthusiast located at 175 15th Ave., Brgy. Socorro, Quezon City, Philippines.

I heard Ate Amanda said that they might find Lolo Ador and Lola Ludy there at the gates of heaven.

These ladies are natural :)

When the kids became bigger than mommy.

Good job mama!

...the most beautiful mermaid ever ;)

The following day, the kids attended Dasha's Royal Princess Tea Party.  They've been so excited to attend and wear their gowns when they got invited two weeks ago.

It was a tiring long weekend but we're blessed to add beautiful memories in our kids' childhood.

This year was different as it's our first time to celebrate Father's Day without Daddy Ador.  So as our first stop, we went to Heritage and visit both Mommy and Daddy.

Somehow the three months seem to be long as many things happened after he passed away.  Or maybe, all of us were subconsciously immersing ourselves in our daily activities to somehow dilute the sorrow of losing Daddy. But in hindsight, our family has become much closer and stronger.

My kid's favorite after the Heritage visit was breakfast time and bonding moments with their cousins.  We went to Burger King, just a few kilometers away from Heritage.

Of course, Camilia showed her killer smiles and awesome cute moves to her Kuya, Ates, Tito and TItas.

The kids went on to play hide and seek.  Good thing there are only a few customers so most of the dining area became their playground.

Ate Julianna and Ate Champee posing for the camera.

 After the simple breakfast celebration, we went home and I got these priceless gifts from my babies.

Nothing melts my heart than seeing my kids taking their time and effort to make these personalized greeting cards as it unleashed their creativity and more importantly, their love for our family.

Last December 24, 2016, we had an extra special Christmas eve.

Our third baby, Ava Camilia didn't want to be left out on the family's Noche Buena. It was about 2 in the morning when the rookie mom complained that she's having a hard time sleeping and that her tummy is slightly aching.  She tried not to let Ava go out since Ate Amanda and Ate Cassandra are all excited for their gifts on Christmas Eve.

So we got back to bed, but little did I know that I was the only one who slept.  Cali was up all that morning until the tummy aches became frequent.  That's contraction already so when we got up about 5, we know that she's getting into labor.

Good thing it was holiday so the drive from south was just about 20 minutes using the skyway.  This is where experience kicks in. The regular contraction interval... being calm while driving... taking the fastest route.

I was used to waiting for 8 hours or more for the delivery but this time it was different.  Just about 2 to 3 hours, they already called me to be in the delivery room so I can take pictures.  Good thing I got my camera bag with me.  So here I am all suited up to see Mommy Cali and Ava.

Here's our first picture with Ava Camilia with my fancy bag :) Then the doctors have to clean her up...

It's also important for newborns to have their first latch to their mommies to get the colostrum and have that special connection that only mothers can give.

Kudos to Dra. Gali's team for the successful delivery.  Thank you for ensuring both mommy Cali and Ava's safety all throughout the operation.  She said that Ava has two cord coils when they saw her.

The Noche Buena
After we were settled in the room, that night the whole gang came.  Of course, the newly promoted Ate Cassandra (formerly the bunso Baby Cassandra) and Ate Amanda were very excited to see their baby sister.  But looking at this picture, it seems they're more excited on their Christmas gifts :)

Even though we spent our Christmas at the hospital, the most important thing was we were with our family.

And here's our first Christmas photo with Ava and Peppa :)

It was Christmas morning and it's already time for Ava's first bath time.

Here's Ava... all tucked up after bathing.

During our last night, the two ates decided to have a sleep over.  Good thing they have their pjs ready.

One of the tests done for newborns is the hearing test.  Good thing she passed.

And before we left, Ava lead the prayer.

Babies are truly God's gift.  And Ava Camilia was the best present He was able to give us on His birthday.

I'm excited as much as my two daughters when we watched Moana, the last animation film from Disney we watched last November.
If my kids are excited with the cute Moana baby (who had some resemblance to Cassandra), me and the rookie mom were anxious if Cassandra can make it through the ending without crying.  But she was brave and finished the movie 'til the end.

​Here are some of the things I learned from the movie:

The saddest part of a man's journey in this world is not dying but rather having not lived.
Both the short film and the movie talked about our individual calling. You hear lines such as "the ocean is calling..."
In life, one of the best things that could happen to a man is when he finds his purpose. In the short film, there was a boy who is caught in the rat race.  Always doing what is  A lot has been said about time management but sadly, managing time is not at fault but rather our laser focus to our purpose.  When we know our reason for living, time won't matter anymore.

Narcissism
Maui's intention of stealing the Heart of Te Fiti was to be able to give everything MAN wants.  Not because he loves humankind, but rather he wants acceptance.  He wanted the applause… the feeling of being depended upon. 
Well, that's a classic example of what we dads, should be mindful of.  Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to do everything for your child?  Like tying her shoelaces, drawing a better stick man or solving her math assignments?  Well, if your kid knows how to do all of these yet you still do it for them, what you're showing is not love but rather you are intoxicated with the feeling of being depended upon.  This leads to the child not learning or being too dependent .
Going back to Maui's story, his insecurity came from his parents not wanting him and giving him away… that giving everything to mankind will give him glory as he's hungry for attention.

Bitterness
When someone steals your heart and use it for his own interest, this leads to bitterness.  As with Tafiti, she became the evil lava monster when she lost her heart.
We become a monster when we give up on love.  The green grass turns into arid lands.  The lush and bountiful forest becomes destroyed by the red hot lava.  Anger. Sadness.

If we fail, we cannot assume our kids will suffer the same fate.
Moana's dad prevented her to explore the sea beyond the reef.  Simply because he lost a friend when he was young while trying to pursue his own dream of going beyond the reef.  Then he trained himself on accepting the status quo.  To be happy where you are…
Well that is good.  To find happiness wherever you are.  But not to the extent of killing your purpose.  Because when you don't pursue your purpose, despite being happy on where you are, your heart will always yearn to where it is called.
As a dad, I had a lot of failures.  Some of them, I wasn't able to overcome.  But I have to be mindful now on not transferring these fears to my kids. Because I want them to be free to pursue their purpose… their dreams… their greatness.

Training
When Maui yields to Moana's desire to be  a good wayfarer, he was able to mentor her well.  Being a mentor means partnering with your trainee to properly understand on how to become great. It also needs a lot of humility both for both the mentor and the mentee. For the mentor, being sensitive to the person you're mentoring knowing that you also started without any knowledge.  For the mentee, having that opened mind that your mentor will be able to fill your learning cup.

​Overall, the movie was great.  Knowing Disney and Pixar, they always try to embed good and inspiring values in their stories.  I have a feeling that my kids' generation are very fortunate as they are exposed to finding their purpose earlier in their lives so they could reach their full potential.

And just like that... Cassandra's TWO.

I'm sure some may have heard these from our elders...
​
​"Enjoy your kids while they're young, pretty soon you'll realize that they're all grown up"

​Yes, they're right.

It was a quick two years... probably because of the series of life events that happened... or just plainly how life works.  This year, we celebrated Cassandra's 2nd birthday with our closest relatives and friends at Jollibee.  It's amazing how they designed his face to appeal to toddlers.

Funny thing about Cassandra is that she tries not to smile whenever we're taking her pictures.  It's one of the greatest challenge for us as a photographer couple as we're able to make most kids smile except her.  During her birthday, there are even scenarios where she was super happy but when we focused the camera on her, she tries so hard to cover her smile.

Looking at our rare family picture, I just can't imagine a decade ago that God would bless me this much.  Now our youngest turned two, I look forward to how can God even bless us more.

Some say that we have to watch out for the TERRIBLE TWO.  But I would rather think of it as her TERRIFIC TWO.  Just adding up a dose of positivity in this world enveloped by negativity.  As a parent, I know that it'll be another milestone of always running after Cassandra so she won't fall while running, or prevent her from sticking her tongue in the power outlet, or even stand up on her high chair... but nothing would beat seeing her light up and laugh about all these tiny discoveries she will experience on her life as a two-year old.  And with these simple joys, more terrific adventures await us...

Speaking of how time flies fast, seeing Ate Amanda on this shot made time fly faster.  I know that no matter how I want them to stay as Daddy's Little girls, soon they'll be adults and will be making a good difference in this world.

Cassandra's birthday reminded me of three things:

1. Masks cannot cover feelings.  Before the party started, we overheard the man behind the Jollibee mascot talking someone on the phone and was shouting at the top of his voice.  He's upset to something or at someone.  In short, he's really angry just before he wears that Jollibee costume.  The result, when Jollibee showed up at the party and tries to hold Cassandra's hand, she said... "NO!"  Maybe kids have this sixth sense. That no matter how happy and jolly Jollibee's face, they can feel the negative aura of the person wearing it.  Take note that we chose Jollibee because this red happy mascot always light up her face when she sees one in the street.  We were quite surprised she acted that way when she saw Jollibee in person.
2. Presence not presents.  We were touched by the people who made it to the party despite the horrible traffic in C5 during that time.  One of Cassandra's Lolos was there despite recovering from an operation. Some came all the way from Cebu. And others despite their busy schedules, freed up some time just to be there. Truly, the best things in life are not things... but people who invested their time to be with you because they love you.

No it's not Best Fried Chicken or Best Friend's Camote

It's Benign Febrile Convulsion.

It was early morning on Friday when I lost sleep as our Little Ate Cassandra woke me up for a diaper change twice already.  She's having diarrhea. Well, it was on Wednesday that she vomited almost six times as she's having an upset stomach.  We called her pedia and she prescribed some medications already.  On Thursday morning she's ok already so it was only during Friday that her stomach rumbled again.

During our power breakfast, the two kids were done eating ahead of us so they went inside the room and watched some videos.  After a while, Ate Champee went out of the room with a calm voice saying "Cassandra fell."

We thought it was nothing since we didn't hear Cassandra cried. But then... 

Horror!

Cali found Cassandra lying down on the side of the bed thinking she was just playing... A second look made her realized she's already having a seizure and then began to not move anymore.  Her face turned purple (not in a cute way) already.

We panicked!

We thought we lost Cassandra.

The sequence of events that followed were so fast... in fact it's super duper fast that I realized I was only wearing this while we were in the emergency room.

I'm not sure if it's just me, but this is one thing I dread for my kids to have... an IV.  But it's inevitable in Cassandra's case as she needs to replace all those lost minerals and fluids in her body.  Later on she was diagnosed with benign febrile convulsion or BFC.

This is what I got from Mayo Clinic's website:

"A febrile seizure is a convulsion in a child that may be caused by a spike in body temperature, often from an infection. Your child's having a febrile seizure can be alarming, and the few minutes it lasts can seem like an eternity."

Yes indeed, it's like eternity.  I remembered having a hard time some days back with Cassandra.  That it's hard to comfort her when she's crying and that she's too active (more active than Ate Champee when she was the same age).  But when this happened, I realized that all of those things were just petty.  And that I wouldn't mind being woke up super early in the morning by her cries, or playing with her even if I'm super tired after work.  It doesn't matter anymore.  I just want her back up and healthy.

A Parent's Pain
It was painful to see her had seizure, but then I wonder how those parents cope up with their life when they lost their kid.  I had a privilege of talking to a dad last weekend where he lost his eldest many years ago.  As they say, kids should be the one burying their parents and not the other way around.  I've experienced losing a friend, and a mom.  But I would say, nothing would compare to a parent's lament when they lost a child. When he was telling me the his story, it was as if it was just yesterday.  But one thing that struck me was that, he needed to stand up and move on because his two other kids need him.  I admire him.  And I admire all those parents who were able to rise up to the challenge of facing life with that tremendous battle scar.

Then we had visitors...

Ate Champee made a Get Well Soon card for Cassandra.

Three things I learned from this experience:

1. Always keep a nice shirt at hand :)) - Boy Scouts training make sense.  So to save myself from public scrutiny, I need to always be prepared. A good shirt in the car would at least cover me from another trip to the emergency room. But hey, those perfect sandos makes me feel at home.
2. Nevermind the petty things. - The people closest to us need our time, attention and love. If small things bother us, we lose the opportunity to make wonderful memories with our loved ones. I remember Covey's First Things First... It's ok to live an unbalanced life, people should take precedence more than your planner.  When we fend off our kids, spouse, friends, officemates or just about any person because we need to get back on track with our schedule, we lose living life to the fullest.  After all, why do we do the things we need to do... Is it because of money? Or because of our loved ones?
3. Monitor - We thought Cassandra just had a mild fever. Next time, at the onset of any fever, we need to monitor her temperature and prevent it from rising.  Plus remember to follow the doctor's advise on the onset of another seizure... don't panic and lay her on her left side.

The Red Eye Flight

Early morning flight... two kids, a pregnant pretty mom and a pogi daddy :)  (sorry guys, this is my blog and I'm entitled to my own opinion)...

Horror... It's already 3 am and we haven't packed half of our things yet... too late for a 6am flight.  I think it wouldn't be much of a big deal if we're just packing for the two kids and us... but, we also have our photobooth and camera stuff to pack. With God's grace and our penchant love for grace under pressure (in short not so prepared:)), we're able to pack our things, drive to the airport, check in the over-the-limit baggage and make our flight on time.

...but we made it, yey!  For the single people who are backpackers, preparing your luggage and making your flight may not be a big deal... but if you are a parent with two kids these things may not be as easy as it looks. 

​We've been to Cebu a couple of times but this weekend was extra special. It's Tito Kevin and Tita Tei's wedding. I could still remember the first time we saw them together in Manila on Champee's birthday.  That same night, armed with a shotgun, we tried to interrogate Kevin about his intentions (just kidding ;) Well he's still lucky as Mama was not as tough on him unlike when I was courting Cali.

Mabuhay Cebu!

Finally we're on Cebu after an hour of flight. But before we left the airport, our little Cassandra strutted her way to the conveyor belt fashion runway.

When we were able to settle in our free accommodation, thanks to Boss Jerry of Sta. Lucia Cebu (a cousin of my cousin... so is he my cousin then?) it was time to meet the Thompsons over to Kristel and Kevin's place.

I wasn't there since I dropped by at our Cebu office on that day. But it was nice to have the Calingasans see all of Kevin's family.

And that same night, we went to the dinner to formally meet them. It was actually what we call the pamamanhikan. It was in TGI Fridays where the love team KeTel was formed (lol)

It was cool to meet an American family with close family ties. And I think Kevin oriented his family well as they brought us "pasalubongs" from the States. 

The following day we went to Taboan (the best smelling market in town).  Then off we go to the rehearsals.  It was a good time to teach some Filipino games to the kids.We played luksong baka and patintero.

Surprise
​That same night Cali and the rest of the girls had a surprise bridal shower for Kristel.

And the boys, as expected, didn't prepare any for Kevin. But it's ok since we had a good time just hanging around at a bar nearby.

The Day That Didn't End
​We slept about 3 am but woke up at 4 to fetch some of the family's guests at the airport. Fortunately the flight was delayed.  Unfortunately, we knew about it when we're already at the airport.  So we went home, get some half an hour sleep more before going back to the airport, then to the hotel, then back to the airport to fetch our video crew.

The day ended, with everyone settling at the hotel to finally relax before the big day.  We also took this short time to get some shots that will be used in the video.

The Big Day
Everyone was in a happy, excited and anxious mode at the same time as we all want to have a perfect wedding day.

The preps were both fun and tiring as some guests weren't used to the cameras.  Fortunately, the kids are natural models... hmmm, maybe they got it from their parents... ahem.

...well maybe the kids got it from their grandparents.

The Flower Girls
Ever since Amanda became a flower girl from a friend's wedding, she's always looking forward to wearing gowns and makeup to all the weddings she's attending.

The Entourage
​It was an intimate wedding where all the guests are Kevin and Kristel's family and closest friends. Here's a picture of my girls with the entourage.

A Great Wedding!
What makes an event successful? It's not the dress, the makeup, the flowers, the bridal car, the picture perfect beach nor the barongs. It's all about the celebration of love. It's the essence of why we're celebrating in the first place. The wedding was a big success because everyone felt the love in the air. The love of the couple. The love for the family. The awesome love from their friends. And most of all, God... the giver of Love.