Putting the "Wed" in "Wednesday."

Further proof that "time flies so fast."

It's been 8 years since we went to GA to attend the wedding of Jul. His wedding was the first of his generation, so we made sure not to miss it.

Happy Anniversary, Jul and Jen! 

Two Edgardos, Four generations.

What's not to love about this photo?

Not only does it represent 4 generations of Morales guys, it also has 2 Edgardos in one frame. We have my Dad, Edgardo, and his great grandson, Noah Edgardo.

Lucky boys indeed!

One family, Two parts of the world!

The past 2 weeks was so special. Not only did we get to spend time with the first Morales grandson, we got to spend time with Jen's family as well. Her Mom, Renee, and sister, Steph, went to Manila with her and we banded together to show them some good, ole Filipino hospitality.

Judging by how they want to come back to Manila again soon, I think we succeeded in making them feel at home on the other side of the world.

Nephews on the road

My 2 eldest nephews are named Jul and Carl. They're Ate Lissa's 2 boys who are both in the U.S.

(That's Carl on the left, and Jul on the right.)

Or are they?

Because I saw this vehicle on the road this afternoon.

Amazing coincidence, eh?

You outta Noah!

Now that most of my nephews and nieces are all grown up, (and managers, pilots, sales heads, etc.), let me dote on my grandkids.

Yup, I'm a Lolo!

And seeing Noah's smile makes me glad that I'm now a doting grandad.

Cuteness overload!

#LOL(O)

It's now official and legitimate!

I'm a Lolo!

Presenting my new grandson, Noah Edgardo. He's the first born of my eldest nephew, Jul.

Welcome to the family!

The Philippine (and Italian-American) contingent

"I'm impressed at how you all flew in for the wedding. Your family is very close."

That's what Jen's aunt told me after finding out that family members from Manila and California flew in to Georgia to attend the wedding.

While the Philippine contingent was small, we definitely were the most gregarious of the bunch. Add Lou (Jul's Italian-American father figure) into the mix, and it was definitely a happy and noisy table.

I'm so glad I flew in for this wedding.

Raise the red (white, blue and yellow) flag!

Here's one gesture that made us smile during the wedding.

The bride's family placed the flags of the U.S. and the Philippines together as part of the centerpieces. Stephen - the bride's Dad - said that it symbolizes how our families from both sides of the world are now united as one in marriage.

Such a nice family!

Bliss!

Presenting the reason why I went on a short and sweet trip to Atlanta.

My eldest nephew, Jul, got married to the love of his life, Jen.

It was a beautiful ceremony that left a lot of the people in Rose Hall teary eyed. Including us. Gosh, someone must've been peeling onions in the vicinity.

Congratulations, Jul and Jen! I'm elated to have been part of your special day, and we look forward to seeing you again (and our new grandchildren) soon.

Oh my how've they've grown - Part 7

I still remember it like it was yesterday.

On July 13, 1990, my first nephew was born. He was named Jul Mikhail, and he made our family feel even more complete.

Now, he's 25, and about to embark on a new family life of his own.

Congratulations, Jul! And welcome again to the crazy clan, Jennifer!

The making of a proposal

Today is a huge day for the family.

For the first time, we all decided to spend New Year out of town. And I do mean ALL. All 20 of us! The big reunion was due to the fact that my brother and his family, as well as my 2 nephews, flew in from the U.S.! So this was the first time that we were truly, truly complete in a long time.

Another reason why it's huge is because of something that has a familiar ring to it!

My nephew, Jul, is proposing to his girlfriend, Jennifer!

So, the moment we arrived, Jul's brother - Carl, and all the cousins went into full action mode to make sure the proposal was memorable and successful. The next few hours were spent stringing lights, adding buntings, setting up a screen, showing the AVP, and all the little details to make this event great.

Kevin was so hands-on in the preps. So hands-on that he even made a storyboard to ensure that everything goes according to plan.

Looks like we have another creative mind in the family.

Now, let me stop writing and wait for the proposal to start.

Oh my how they've grown! Part quatre!

Jul and Carl are my first 2 nephews. Being the proud Tito that I am, I would carry photos of the 2 boys and show it to my friends and classmates back in UP.

I can still vividly remember when they were babies. Jul was born in 1990, and he was born a few days before the big earthquake. I remember how he was still in the playpen when the ground started shaking, and everyone rushed to shield him from impending harm.

Carl was born 11 months after Jul. And he was so cute with his big eyes, chubby cheeks and very fair skin.

Now, looking at this photo of the two boys, now both college graduates in the U.S., I'm just amazed at how fast they've grown.

And just like how it was 20+ years ago, seeing how far they've gone makes me feel like a proud Tito.