It was a big eye-opener for me, especially because I was considering moving my family to another country at some point. I realized that we were still lucky because my kids get to spend time with their grandparents, their Lolo and Lola, whenever we can. Not only that, the children are also making great memories with their Lolo and Lola.

Just recently, the Holy Week provided us with another long holiday and an opportunity to visit my parents in San Antonio, Nueva Ecija. The happiness of Lolo and Lola is apparent in their beaming smiles whenever we arrive at their house.

Our usual routines would be to eat lunch after we had settled down and then the children would either play in the common area in the second floor of the house, in the backyard, or they would just watch TV. On the other hand, Lolo and Lola would often excitedly talk to the kids, asking how they were or requesting them for stories. They would also watch TV together or sit on the terrace.

Lately, though, Lolo had a sidecar installed in his motorcycle, which meant that he could take the kids to the town center to buy toys in the local department stores. The boys are always looking forward to the tricycle ride with Lolo, with Rafa always being extremely vocal and excited for their tricycle ride.

In the last few months that we visited, we took the kids to the supermarket for the Sunday bazaar to buy toys. After that, we would visit another department store to buy more toys. That has been our routine for some time.

However, during the Holy Week holiday, we visited two more department stores in town and was surprised because they had more toy selections as compared to the first one that we used to visit. Expectedly, the kids couldn’t contain their excitement while choosing toys. As usual, Rafa got a remote-controlled toy car that transforms into a robot. Kuya Miguel, meanwhile, got a toy tank with blinking lights. When we got home, the boys immediately got down to business and played with their toys.

On a further note, Lolo also allowed Rafa to sit with him in the motorcycle seat. Of course, Rafa was extremely delighted to be riding Lolo’s tricycle like a big boy. He was screaming, laughing, and talking all throughout our ride. Each time we got home, Lola would ask the boys what they bought and show the toys to her. Rafa would readily oblige, of course, and proceed to play with his new toy find.

This is a routine that I dearly cherish. I like seeing my parents happy, their eyes glowing, each time we get home. Their house would be filled with their grandkids’ laughter again. Conversely, I like seeing my children happy in our old home, enjoying the company of their Lolo and Lola, and bonding with them. Life is simple, but it’s the simple things that truly matter and bring true happiness to us.

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