Chasing Dreams

Day 3: Rain’s smiles, Lola Mommy, and extended prayer & fasting

January 21, 2013June 19, 2019 Rhiza3 Comments

1. Rain’s smiles. I woke up to the sound of my husband’s laughter. It was early in the morning and Rain was on a roll. Daddy was feeding her, and she was smiling non-stop with her froth-covered lips. What a great way to start the day! Albeit sporadically, the twins started showing real smiles this past week. I wish I was able to capture those first smiles, but they came too sudden. I can’t wait for them to interact more and give more of those intentional smiles. You bet I’m going to take truckloads of photos.

We do get lots of reflexive smiles when they’re sleeping, but even though those are just involuntary muscle movements, they melt our hearts just the same. Everytime my babies smile in their sleep, it makes me feel like God is smiling at me.

2. Lola Mommy. It’s her day-off on Mondays so Lola Mommy (my mother) got to spend the day with us. She relieved me off my baby duties for the day, which allowed me to have some uninterrupted quiet time to pray, to work, to write. Praise God for Mommies. And Lolas.

3. Prayer and fasting extension. Since 2010, I would start each year with prayer and fasting and I have experienced many breakthroughs in my life because of it. Last week, we took part in our church’s week-long prayer and fasting once again, and I was so blessed by all the testimonies and answered prayers we heard in our midst. As for me and my husband, one of our major prayer concerns was answered last week too, and just as God answers prayers, He answered ours in a way we never hoped for or imagined. Crazy!!

And now, without divulging details, I’m still waiting for more clarity and confirmation regarding an important matter, hence the decision to extend my fast a few more days. Jentezen Franklin says, “Fasting brings you to a place of being able to clearly hear God’s will.” And that, is exactly what I’m desperate to hear.

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 3.

Day 1: Dawn’s answered prayer, 7 hours of sleep, and my sister

January 19, 2013June 19, 2019 Rhiza1 Comment

1. Dawn’s answered prayer. A few days ago, Dawn was having a hard time sleeping and breathing because of a runny nose. Everytime I would try to put her down on her bed, her nose would be clogged with mucus in an instant and she would start crying again. We had to suction her nose every now and then, and David and I had to take turns holding her upright so she could sleep. I was worried sick I couldn’t sleep myself. Desperate for prayers, I posted a request on our church’s Facebook prayer hotline, which alerted an army of prayer warriors.

Now, I listen to Dawn’s soft breathing as she sleeps. Thank you for your prayers.

2. Seven hours of sleep. Saturday morning, I fell asleep just as the sun was starting to rise. Next thing I know, I woke up and it was 12 noon, the babies were not crying, and lunch was prepared on the dining table. I was asleep for 7 straight hours, the first time in forever! A-ma-zing! Thank you Daddy, and babies, for giving me the longest sleep in months!

3. So proud of my sister. Yesterday at the closing of our church’s prayer and fasting week, Ate Imy, my sister-in-law, took the stage and testified about how God has been working in her life. It was a rare event, she said so herself, as it was the first time she had the courage to share her testimony in front of a crowd. I’m so glad I didn’t miss it. She is such a blessing.

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 1.

30 Days of Gratitude: Crazy Excited for 2013!

January 18, 2013November 14, 2021 Rhiza26 Comments

30 Day Blog Challenge, Round 3. I’m typing this with trembling fingers. I know I don’t exactly have a lot of free time, and doing a 30-day challenge in between motherhood, homemaking, and home-based work sounds toxic, if not crazy. A part of me is almost sure that I don’t have time to do this, which is why I’ve been putting it off. But I also know that there’s no better time to do this but now.

I heard someone say that what you do on the first days of the year is an indication of what the rest of your year is going to be. And I don’t want this year to be a whole year of putting things off. So even though we’re half-way through January already, I’m challenging myself to set the course for 2013—a year of seeking God, counting blessings, and keeping a thankful heart.

And I’d like this blog to get into that groove too.

Starting the year with my little family.
(Photograph taken before we took the Christmas tree down.)

So I’m starting another round of 30 Days here at Chasingdreams.net. (Remember the first time I did this? How about the second?)

The challenge: List down 3 blessings a day, ala “3 Beautiful Things“.

The listing down part is not really a “challenge”. I’m pretty sure I’ll never run out of blessings to count each day I probably need more slots than 3. Finding the time in the day to post them here, now that’s a little more tricky.

But perhaps the other reason why my fingers are shaking is because I know that God is going to do crazy amazing things for our family this year. And you know how expecting from God always comes with a certain level of fear and trembling—you don’t know exactly what His plan is and how He’s going to pull it off, you just know that He will. And when He does, it always always blows your mind away.

I’m excited for the next 30 days. More so, I’m excited for this year.
2013 is going to be ahh-maezhing.

30 Day Blog Challenge, Round 3, now begins.

DAY 1: An answered prayer, 7 hours of sleep, and my sister-in-law
DAY 2: 39 years, on the red, and carrying on the family’s legacy
DAY 3: Rain’s smiles, Lola Mommy, and extended prayer & fasting
DAY 4: Real smiles, pinstriped slacks, and a breakthrough
DAY 5: Officially working form home, mutual appreciation, and my little support group
DAY 6: Kuya Nikos, 3 months, and Thursday Group
DAY 7: Saturdate, TV time, and now-what moments
DAY 8: Manny Pacquiao, changed lives, and family picture
DAY 9: Mondays, sisters, and taking photographs
DAY 10: Book reading, multi-tasking, and silent nights
DAY 11: Mondays, coinbox, and taking risks
DAY 12: January, totally smitten, and 52 Weeks Project
DAY 13: Bath times, solitude, and another encounter
DAY 14: Hello sunshine, home-baked cookies, and missing my husband
DAY 15: Lost and found, catching up, and Sunday nights
DAY 16: February, Alias marathon, and missing my Dad
DAY 17: No time to blog, grocery therapy, and 13 days left
DAY 18: Real food, sleeping routine, and a timely reminder
DAY 19: Day off, married friends, and coming home
DAY 22: Leading worship, speaking to the youth, and lovin’ my family
DAY 23: Memory lane, surprise visit, and someone dreamed about me
DAY 26: Canceled movie date, chocolates, and Vday with the loves of my life

We Love Spinkie’s Bitbit the Rabbit

January 15, 2013January 15, 2013 RhizaLeave a comment

This post about Spinkie’s Bitbit the Rabbit was first published on ThisMommyLife.com.

When my husband and I were thinking about what to get our twins for their first Christmas, we both agreed that we won’t be giving them clothes. Newborns outgrow their clothes too fast; besides, they already have a LOT of clothes from their baby showers, enough to last them til they’re 2 years old!

And since these were their first Christmas gifts, we wanted to give Dawn and Rain something they’d be able to use for a long time, something we’d be able to carry with us wherever we go, and something that would look good in photographs!

After searching the web (and the malls!) for weeks, I came across these plush bunnies by Spinkie, they call them “Bitbit the Rabbit” and I knew then that we found the perfect gifts.

Spinkie’s Bitbit the Rabbit is available in some multiply and Facebook shops. We first chanced upon them in Numa Baby Store in E. Rodriguez. Sometimes, you’ll find Spinkie in bazaars too. But it’s only in Zalora that I was able to find stocks of this specific color, the Flamingo Pink Bitbit the Rabbit.

What I love about Spinkie’s Bitbit the Rabbit:

You can “bitbit” (carry) it wherever you go! Lol, I wonder if that’s why it’s called “Bitbit” in the first place. It’s small enough to fit your diaper bag or your hand carry, but big enough for your baby to cuddle.
It’s designed for newborns. It’s made of non-allergenic material which is safe for biting and snuggling. It’s even designed to help with teething and sleep assistance.
It’s pretty and it looks really good in photographs. Which is important to me because obviously babies won’t remember anything from their first two years, and it’s only through photographs that they’ll have a recollection of them. I want to be able to tell them when they’re older, “hey, those are your first Christmas gifts from Mommy and Daddy!” Here are some instagrams of our twins with their Spinkies:

It’s proudly Filipino made. While it originated in Singapore, Spinkie is the brainchild of Filipina mompreunuer, former beauty queen Mutya Laxa-Buensuceso. I didn’t know this at first, I actually thought I was buying imported stuff. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to know that it’s a local brand after all.
It’s a little hard to find. This should probably fall under the “What I DON’T like about the product” category, but the fact that it’s not readily available everywhere means there are only a few pieces of this thing, which kinda makes it novelty.

So happy with our finds! True enough, we bring these bunnies E V E R Y W H E R E they’re starting to feel like actual members of the family! <3

“I’m a happy person because I grew up in a happy home”

January 14, 2013May 13, 2019 Rhiza5 Comments

We were at our friends’ wedding last Friday, and it was special to me for many reasons. For one, the groom, Robert, is my brother’s best friend, and in the past N years that I’ve known him, he’s become like a brother to me too. He’s an extension of our family, and based on how I’ve known him, I just believe that whoever he falls in love with is surely one special girl.

Then came Tin, whom I’ve also known from those summer camps my husband and I attended in high school. Long story short, it’s a small world after all, and we’re blessed to know these two people before they even knew they were meant for each other.

Robert and my brother (his Best Man) waiting by the altar, and Tin walking down the isle.

We didn’t see this coming, the union of these two opposites, but their wedding last Friday was just.. so beautiful it gave everyone a reason to hope, and to trust in The God who writes beautiful love stories. Amidst the rain that poured on their garden wedding, everyone was smiling and laughing and wiping tears of sheer joy.

The twins were there with us too, in their stroller, sleeping through the wedding ceremony. I remember wishing that Dawn and Rain were old enough to understand what was happening. It’s the kind of dream wedding you’d wish for your daughters.

Sure I can quote more lines from the Pastor’s message and the beautiful vows the couple exchanged, but if there’s one line that struck me most, it’s this line from Tin’s speech as she honored her parents:

“I’m a happy person because I grew up in a happy home.”

True enough, happy is the one adjective you’ll use to describe Tin. She’s always smiling, always making other people smile. Her laughter is infectious; she laughs and you know that she has entered the room. She’s the kind of person who wouldn’t let negativity (and negative people!) change her or get in the way of being loving, gracious, and happy. Aside from the fact that she’s a stunner (Toni Gonzaga slash Anne Curtis look-a-like, they say), I think it’s her being a happy person that made Robert fall in love with her in the first place.

And as a mother (am I really using this line now?), I can’t help but think that I want that for Dawn & Rain too.

To grow up in a happy home. To be happy. To have a happy disposition in life, one that doesn’t get easily shattered by storms, and challenges, and negativity.

Behold, Dawn & Rain’s first wedding appearance :)

I pray that someday, my daughters will be able to say that they’ve become who they are because of the home they grew up in. And that someday, in about 40 years (LOL), each of them will find someone who will love her because of the beautiful and happy person that she’s become.

Oh wow. Take me to a wedding now and this is what I take home with me? Honoring of parents? Someone has crossed over.

*Side note: 8 months ago, we were just looking for a venue for their wedding. How time flies!

Photographs on our Christmas Tree

December 30, 2012December 31, 2012 Rhiza2 Comments

After deliberating if we should buy a new Christmas tree and waiting around for Christmas trees to go on sale (for real!), we finally put up our tree sometime mid-December. We bought a bigger tree replaced the small one I had for years. And because the girls in the house outnumber the only boy (hello, Daddy!), I took the liberty of replacing last year’s red poinsettias with pink ornaments this year.

No complaints from the husband! Promise.

Two years ago, I pinned polaroids on my Christmas tree just for trips. Last year, on our first Christmas as a married couple, my husband and I thought we should make it a tradition, putting up photos on the tree like a timeline, representing milestones and beautiful memories of the year that was.

And so, for tradition’s sake, here are the photographs that made it to this year’s Christmas tree. Expectedly, these photos are mostly of the twins.. our year’s greatest milestone.

And yes, they’re all from the ‘gram. Oh how convenient it is to just print out our best photos from Instagram throughout the year. Thank you, IG.

I can imagine how much fun it will be when the twins are older—they’ll choose the photos themselves for the tree. Ahh. Christmas is making me soooo happy, you know? I think I’ve crossed over.