10 Fun Facts About My Family

I’ve had my blog for nearly 6 years now and I thought it would be fun to share some random ‘did you know’ facts about my family that may or may not surprise you. What you’re about to read is 100% true!

Did you know that I met my husband when I was 14 years old?

In fact, when we first met I lied to him about my age and told him I was 16. He was 17 at the time. When he discovered that I was only going to grade 9, we went our separate ways only to reconnect in our 20s! We survived a long distance relationship as my husband was in University in the U.S. for a soccer scholarship. The rest is history!

Did you know that I always thought I would have sons?

We never found out the gender for both pregnancies, but if you were to ask me then, I would’ve said I was having a boy. I had a long list of ‘boy’ names picked out, but I guess the Chinese calendar had it wrong and here I am a “GIRL MOM”!

Did you know that Harper had a heart procedure done when she was 4?

We learned when Harper was 3 that she had patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which is a persistent opening between the two major blood vessels leading from the heart. Thank goodness we discovered this early and had it closed because some people go years without knowing; it could possibly lead to congestive heart failure or other life-threatening issues if not treated.

Did you know that we always thought we would be ‘One and Done’?

Harper was an only child for 5 years; I really thought we were always going to be a family of three. But as Harper grew older I really wanted her to have a sibling. I also missed that baby stage when she went off to school. We tried for what felt like forever to have another baby and after two miscarriages, Noa was born!

Did you know we have the same ethnic background?

Both our parents are from the Philippines and immigrated to Canada before marrying and having children. My husband and I try to instil many Filipino traditions in our home, especially when it comes to food. Emil is the chef in the house and can make a mean sinigang! Neither of us speak Tagalog (Emil understands), but we know some words which we share with Harper and Noa. One day we will take them to the Motherland!

Did you know that we live in the city with no plans to move to the suburbs?

To this day our parents will still bug us about selling our small townhouse to buy a bigger house with a long driveway and massive backyard in the ‘burbs. To be honest, Emil and I never thought we would stay downtown after having children. We live in great community that we have grown to love so much. Right now we see ourselves living here for a very long time!

Did you know that we have traveled more as a family than we have pre-kids?

Everyone told us after we got married to travel as much as possible because when we had kids we would never be able to. Well, that definitely wasn’t the case. We have traveled WAY more now! It’s so amazing to experience the world together and to show the girls different countries and cultures.

Did you know we have never done a couples trip?

I know they all say it’s healthy to have some alone time and to do travel without the kids … but we have NEVER done it. Not even a staycation! Sure, we do date nights quite often, but we have never left the kids overnight. Not even once. We have talked about it, but never pulled the trigger. For now we are happy with our frequent dinner and day dates. Maybe when the girls are older this will change!

Did you know we once believed Harper could see ghosts?

This sounds crazy, right? To make a long story short, when Harper was 3 she would often tell us about someone/something she could see in her bedroom (top right hand corner of her room). Our parents took this very seriously; so after having our home blessed by a priest and enduring a 3-hour session with an energy healer in our home, we were cleared from our very own Casper. If you want to know more about this story, email me. It’s pretty wild!

Did you know our first child is a fur baby?

Before getting married, Emil and I got a dog and named him Vegas! We had just arrived home from LV and a week later, we decided to get a puppy. He is 14 years old now and we call him our first son. He doesn’t show up on social a lot, but when he does I almost always get a DM asking if Vegas is actually our dog. He sure is! Harper and Noa both love Vegas very much.