8 Reasons Why We Are Grateful For Miguel’s 8th Birthday

We celebrated Miguel’s 8th birthday with simple joys: family, cake, and gratitude for life, love, health, and new opportunities.

We recently celebrated Miguel’s 8th birthday at home. It was just a simple celebration because it was a Monday, and we had work (we worked at home, though), and the children had classes. We just ordered his favorite chicken, pancit, plus a chocolate mousse cake (any birthday is not complete without cake).

8 Reasons Why We are Grateful on Miguel’s 8th Birthday

It was hard to believe that Miguel is now 8 years old. He is already far from being a baby (in terms of his body size, at least haha), and he will soon be in his pre-teen years. This is the reality every parent has to face: seeing their children grow is like seeing a version of them, well, disappear. Just the same, there are always a lot of things to be grateful for.

Here are the 8 things that we are grateful for:

1. The gift of life

We are thankful for the life that we have, for being alive, and for being given the opportunity to be with the people that we love, to create a difference in the lives of the people around us through our passion, and to see the beauty of the world around us.

2. The gift of love

We are grateful because we are surrounded by people who love without anything in return, which is a big blessing. I’m lucky to have a family that is generous when it comes to showering us with love, my children most especially. I want them to grow up without having to feel that they are lacking when it comes to feeling the warmth of affection from their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

3. The gift of health

We are thankful because we are healthy. Health is wealth; we can’t overemphasize that. Being healthy gives us the opportunity to share more years with the people who are important to us. At the same time, overall health gives us the means to pursue our passions and to be productive at work (so that we can adequately provide for our family).

4. To be surrounded by supportive people

I’m happy and thankful because we are surrounded by supportive people. This is particular for Miguel because he has teachers who truly care for his development and well-being, a tita/yaya who is very diligent in extending care beyond the usual activities of daily living, and a family that understands his needs and is willing to adjust a little for him whenever it is needed.

5. To have the means to support my family

I’m grateful for our work (Mommy Khris and mine) and the occasional blogging gigs. This allows us to support our family financially and indulge in occasional treats, travel opportunities, and family celebrations.

6. The small wins

We always celebrate Miguel’s small wins. We have come a long way, and we have finally potty-trained him. It’s not yet perfect, but we are getting there. We also love that Miguel is a happy boy. He doesn’t really have any major meltdowns, and he is generally content and comfortable as long as he is not hungry and he has the time for play.

7. Learning new things

In addition to the small wins and the skills that we helped nurture in Miguel, we also like that he is learning new things or activities at home. Again, these are just activities of daily living, but essential for him, especially in helping him grow up to be an independent person.

8. The new opportunities

We are thankful for the new opportunities for our family. Our dreams are slowly taking form, and we are grateful for that. Our children are in school, and we are thankful for that. We are able to maintain a small circle of friends, and we value that. The opportunity to teach our youngest, Rafa, to be kind and understanding to other children like his Kuya.

In closing, we are thankful for the life that we have. It’s not perfect (well, nothing is), but we are happy with what we have. Challenges may come our way in the future, but we pray for the strength to surpass them.