X-Archives – Page 11 – Chasing Dreams

Exactly a year ago

April 1, 2013May 13, 2019 RhizaLeave a comment

You know what this day reminds me of? Exactly a year ago, March 31, 2012, was the day we found out we were going to have twins. What a happy day it was! I remember staring at our first ultrasound print that day, wide-eyed and blown away.

I guess I’ll never stop being amazed at the thought that these now-chubby little humans were once inside my womb, and were just tiny sacs in my ultrasound. How did you both fit in there, darlings?

More importantly, what a crazy year it has been! All in one year, I carried two babies in my womb for 35 weeks; survived morning sickness, food cravings, good and bad days; my first ever major surgery; became a mother.

I’m taking a moment now to breathe it all in and thank God for all the beautiful things that happened since we found out that there are two of them. That day I wrote,

My husband and I have been adjusting to pregnancy—easier on some days, more difficult on most days. But my heart rests in the assurance that all of this will be worth it when we finally hold our babies in our arms.

I could never be more right.

Taking A Trip Down The Memory Lane

March 15, 2013July 21, 2020 Rhiza1 Comment

I did say I was going to upload more photographs of Memory Lane, that quaint little cafe in Tagaytay my friends and I visited last month. Well, here they are.

Owned by Jolina Magdangal, Memory Lane reminds me of Hansel and Gretel’s house of candies, except you can’t eat its floors and walls. With its retro vibe and vintage collection all over the place, Memory Lane surely is as eye candy as it can get!

I don’t have much to say about the food. We only ordered some cheese sticks and kebabs out of courtesy, just because we spent too much time taking pictures and we had to consume the 100 peso parking fee.

Tagaytay is known for its food strips, and surely there are countless of restaurants in the area that offer better and cheaper food than this one. But what’s worth the trip down the Memory Lane is the place itself, coz it seemed like it was built to be a tourist attraction / romantic getaway / barkada hangout more than a specialty restaurant.

Then again, what’s worth the trip anywhere at all is the people you’re trippin’ with. So if you’re planning to come see Memory Lane, make sure that you bring along a camera, lots of stories, and people who make you smile. ;)

Memory Lane
Magallanes Drive, Tagaytay City
+63917-8581950, +63922-8298487
Memory Lane’s Facebook Page

Made with love, DIY time!

March 3, 2013May 13, 2019 Rhiza2 Comments

Yesterday, we publicly dedicated Dawn & Rain to the Lord, publicly being the operative word, because we’ve already dedicated these babies to Him right from the time we knew they were conceived. And while I’m still sifting through the gazillion photographs, here are a few shots from last Friday, the day before the event, when my dear friend Mae and I went on a DIY frenzy! (She was also the one responsible for the prettification of our baby shower.)

Buntings, paper pompoms, cupcake toppers, personally designed cards, check! Thank you Mae, for all the help and all the love.

And thank you Hey Kessy for making these cute washi tapes and paper straws available here in the Philippines! It’s not the first time I ordered from them, and I’m always a happy and satisfied customer each time.

But of course the Thank Yous don’t end here. The whole event was just made with love—from Lola Amy’s best-selling candy corner, to Josiah‘s delicious food and ever-reliable catering service, to the support and love from our SBCC, CDMC, and TCC family and friends.

Which is probably best described with photos, soon as I get them organized and uploaded.

For now let me just say, it feels good doing something you love (crafting) when you’re doing it for someone you love.

Is that why motherhood is so awesome? :)

3 months of la-la-la-love

January 25, 2013May 13, 2019 Rhiza6 Comments

Interrupting the 30 Days of Gratitude to give space for this special occasion: Our babies reaching their 3-month mark.

These photographs were taken the day we took them home. And I just love looking at this photo set because it reminds me how far God has brought us. I know that sounds like it’s been years when it’s only been 3 months.

It’s amazing how fast babies grow in such a short period of time! D & R looked so tiny and fragile then—out 2 weeks short of their due. But now they’re chubby all over! And they’ve outgrown some of their newborn clothes too. I’m torn between wanting to see them grow further and wishing they wouldn’t grow up too fast.

x o x o

I’m glad we took photos of their nursery before the room stopped being a nursery and started looking more like their walk-in closet. I remember how it felt, hanging up those pink curtains, washing their first clothes, putting their crib together, obsessively disinfecting everything. Joy filled the house, and our hearts, as we waited for them to come turn our lives around.

And now, 3 months later, life has been a riot, including our house. We took their crib out and is now right smack in the middle of our the living room, while the room which used to be their nursery becomes a storage room of their stuff. The whole house is their nursery, and soon we’ll be paying them rent.

I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all. :)

x o x o

Behold our first photographs as a family. How can one forget a day like this?

So much has happened since that day, so many sleepless nights have passed, so much we have learned. To think we’ve only just begun.

Happy 3 months, Dawn & Rain!
We feel so special for being blessed with such beautiful gifts. I wish you both know how much Mommy and Daddy love you both; someday, we’ll show you how much.

“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.