The Farm Life According To Maia and Gogol

I was archiving my camera photos and came across these. These were shots from a day we spent in Bantud (a farm where my dad spent most of his childhood in). He's planning to raise goats here and we might just join him in this venture (crossing our fingers). For now, this place houses coconuts, an eggplant lot, and some fruit trees.

Maia and Gogol had fun climbing up and down the carrosa (a popular carriage/farm transport in my hometown, usually pulled by either a cow or carabao).

They also went crazy over the makahiya plants that were all over the place. They dismissed our plead to take cover despite being subjected to the scorching summer heat. They wouldn't hear of it. The makahiya plants are just to irresistible, it appears.

I was testing new settings on the camera app so I apologize for the inconsistent filters and messy resolutions. But the sentimental in me just had to document these photos because I could still hear the kids' unadulterated laughter and giggles while looking at them.

Leaving you with a shot of Maia just resting after a game of tag with his manong Gogol.

I WISH WE COULD JUST DECIDE TO MOVE HERE IN A HEARTBEAT. MAIA REALLY LOVES BEING HERE. SIGH.

Summer Memories Of Antique

Antique is a coastal province in the island of Panay (Western Visayas). Belison (we are in wikipedia!) is a town about 18kms north of the provincial capital that is San Jose de Buenavista. I grew up and spent almost 20 years of my life there. It is a quiet town where not much has changed since my childhood. I used to rant about how provincial it was. How devoid it was of 'development'. But I am taking all that back now (well I did take it back some 3 years ago). I am now loving every bit of that place regardless of how it remained to be the same old. 

Since I moved to Manila some 10 or more years ago (hahaha okay just do the math), I've always made it a point to come home at least once (but if the budget would permit well as frequently as possible). My officemates then would often tease me that my savings were all going to the local airline companies' bank accounts. Yes, I admit without shame or regret that spent almost every spare peso I had then to buy plane tickets (and if I get really homesick my parents would take pity and volunteer to buy the tickets for me just so I can come home during long holiday breaks). This year however, because we wanted to make a lot of our plans happen already (plans that were on the pipe since we got married actually), Tibs and I agreed we will skip our Antique homecoming. I tried to psych myself out (tried my hardest, I swear) and used arguments such as - "Cavite is now my home, I should not look far." Or "as long as we spend our holidays together as a family, it wouldn't matter where we are." But there's this nagging thought in my head that firmly declares NO! -- I also have a family in Antique. I've never missed a holy week away from them except during the first trimester that I was pregnant with Maia because I was put on bed rest. Since I gave birth however, we kept on with this tradition and Maia has somehow grown accustomed to it too. She now looks forward to our trips to Antique (and she now enumerates fondly the specific things that she's excited about).

It's difficult to explain but I'm really THAT close to my family that no matter where our disagreements would take us, holy week get-togethers are SACRED in a sense that we just have to be together. It has sort of become our mini-reunion and I'm fervently hoping it's going to stay that way till Gogol and Maia are all grown up and till our pockets would allow us to. 

I never got around to convincing myself that we could forego one trip this year. So the inevitable will happen, the three of us are leaving for Antique again for some R&R and a lot of bonding with my family! And I just can't wait for Monday to come!

I am sharing here photos of all our past trips with Maia in tow. 

Mar 2009. Five months old and enjoying the early morning ocean breeze. Our house is just about a kilometer away from the beach.

Family pic from under my dad's mango tree. 

kids with the grannies. summer of 2009.

La Parola, Patnongon, Antique. Summer of 2010. 

mudplay! summer of 2010. 

Summer of 2010. Outdoor bath.

Summer of 2010, chasing goats.

AND HERE ARE OUR MOST RECENT PHOTOS, PRESENTING MEMORIES OF SUMMER 2011. 

this may be not comparable to 'world-class' beaches but the sunsets are just as perfect

we took a photo of the aratiles for Maia and Gogol. they loved this, by the way!

Basking on the surf with daddy

Enjoying a piggyback ride with Lolo

Sand 'box' time with manong gogol

Cow-watching with Manong Gogol (lolz)

I still have gazillions to show! But I know this post alone is quite an overload already. But I guess now you know why I can't just let this summer pass without us coming home to this wonderful place!

Look Who Came To Visit

Maia's cousin Gogol is spending the next 9 days with us. The last time he came to visit was December 2008. That was when Maia was still a tiny little baby while Gogol could barely run yet and neither of them had a memory of the visit ever happening.

Gogol has recently taken more interest towards riding an airplane again. The last time we went home to Antique, he accompanied us to the airport and it was kind of painful seeing him so eager to get inside the pre-departure area only to be stopped by the guards because it was restricted area for non-passengers.

We were planning for another December get-together so he can finally come visit but an earlier travel plan came up for my mom and she thought it might be a good idea to bring him along since it's a longer visit. It will provide ample time for Gogol and Maia to bond again. :)

Today is Day 2. Gogol arrived around 10am yesterday and they aren't over the giggling, shouting, jumping and just-so-overly-happy-to-see-each-other part yet. They have a love-hate relationship but I guess most toddlers are just like that. Fact of the matter is they really adore each other and couldn't stop talking about one another when they're apart. My sister and I try to raise them like siblings. I think that's just exactly how they see each other. They fight like there's no tomorrow but easily forgets as soon as they make up.

I had to give them a ball each or else one of them
would end up grabbing the ball from the other.

Making eggs for breakfast. Just look at that naughty look on Gogol's face

Maia intends to tour his Manong Gogol around her favorite places in our village. She's got it all planned out. Afternoons at the playground and a dip at the pool in between.

When they see each other next summer, I'm sure they'll have more interesting things to talk about already. I can only imagine. Hehe.