Top o' the mornin'

I've been trying to do the math in my head, but I'll just say that because Vivian's Great-Grandparents came to the United States from Ireland, that makes our boys, a weee bit Irish and very glad to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Gio woke up wishing me a Happy St. Patrick's Day, followed by "what do we do on St. Patrick's Day?" Well, this little family headed to the park for some running and playing. Running and playing is essential for days when your oldest child says things like "I am so fwustwated that you won't wet me watch tv" and "it is so bowing when I don't watch tv"! Wow! Obviously I have never been a parent to a 3 year-old before, but he takes me by surprise daily! We bought his Leprechaun attire before Valentine's Day (darn those Michael's coupons) and I'm just amazed we still had all of the pieces in tact for St. Patrick's Day. The excitement that he once had for his leprechaun "suit" has died down a bit but he still looks so adorable. I tried to take pictures of them in their matching little leprechaun shirts but as you can see, we weren't very successful. However, I'm so glad to have had the camera in hand when they were, well, walking hand-in-hand down the sidewalk. It is moments like these that melt my heart. I don't think they have ever really walked like this yet but their brotherly love is so evident. Shortly after this picture, M fell down and Gio helped him up but while doing so, he fell down and M helped him up. There are crazy minutes, hours, days, but experiencing these moments makes every "fwustwating" aspect of life with two boys so very worth it and so very not "bowing"

2nd child syndrome

I believe this pictures marks the 39th consecutive month that I have been taking pictures for my boys. This month, Max's 15-month photo, marks the very 1st time our paparazzi session ended with just one little picture. Thankfully, Max is very photogenic and I got a decent one on the first shot...but I will add the allotted funds to his therapy savings account I have started in his name. Max and I had a few minutes of quiet as Gio went with Bryan's parents to run some errands. I gathered the child, printed the sign, remembered the tape and the camera-all on the first attempt (which is a big deal for me). Once we went outside to take advantage of the beautiful Texas March weather, it all went down hill. Max is doing this glorious thing called walking and it brings so much joy to watch him explore this new world. It also means this tree worked well to pose him for photos in the months past, but not this one because when he is looking at the camera, he is also looking at a large dirt mound filled with bright yellow trucks and shovels and plenty of toys for little boys. As you can see, the sign fell right down (it was too windy for tape) so I tried to take Max inside to find something stronger to hold it up. Well, not only is he walking, but his is also using every bit of his energy and will to let you know when he does not want to be held. Usually, I can hold on tight but not today where I'm walking around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame because I hurt my back...again. Thankfully, I am saved and my 3 year old comes home and I have the great idea that he will 'help' me take Max's picture and stand behind me to make him laugh. Just writing this makes me laugh because, let's be honest, what was I thinking? Within seconds, Max is heading in one direction, Gio in the other, and I was too tired to try anymore. That, and I couldn't keep up with either one of them! So, to my little Max. I'm sorry you're not smiling in this picture--I'll try harder in April--I promise!

Two boys

It is truly a blessing to see these boys grow up right in front of our eyes. Although this little family of four has faced many challenges this past year, we are given joy every day to now watch these two interact with one another, love one another, and see a glimpse into our very busy future. Well, lets be honest, the present is pretty busy, too!!!

Max is learning to walk and no one is more proud than his big brother. Here's a clip we caught while waiting for daddy to return from a long day. Wish he was here to see this!

This past week

has been quite eventful. With a gorgeous day in San Antonio last Friday, I took the boys to the Botanical Gardens. I found it to be quite lovely and even in January, there was quite a bit to walk around and see. I'm not sure how lovely Max thought it was, he could have really been bored out of his mind but he never let me know. As always, he was smiling, pointing and exploring his new surroundings. Gio, on the otherhand was quickly bored of walking around the paths. I could sense his boredom and asked if he was having fun. His response: No mommy, when will you take me to the kid toys? I certainly didn't want a bored Gio to turn into a cranky Gio so we continued our adventure at the zoo. Since Bryan had pretty much worked every day since returning to Texas from the holidays, we were able to meet up with him on his lunch break and enjoy San Antonio in January.

Here's a few pics of that beautiful day:

Now, fast forward a week to chillier days. We laughed when people acted as though it was cold out (not in their faces, of course). Hellooo, these boys were born in Pittsburgh in November and December. We can do winter but this is really Fall weather in the midwest. We made it out to the zoo again this week We were pleasantly surprised to wake this morning up to see snow on the ground AND Bryan home on a snow day. When I say 'snow', I mean that the streets and sidewalks were covered but the grass was dusted. However, ,it is a big deal here so everything was shut down and it was a fun time for us. We had great fun playing in the snow and I think Gio made 15 snow angels on the driveway. Both boys enjoyed being able to play in the street-what a treat!

Bryan was home until 2pm but being the responsible employee that he is, went in to work for the remainder of the day as the ice was thawed by that point and the highways re-opened. We had a delightful time playing in the snow as Gio misses it tremendously and his mom does, too! I really enjoyed a quiet snow day, especially when we least expected it! These boys couldn't look any happier!

Some days I struggle to accept our surroundings here in San Antonio. In my defense, we have a home in Pittsburgh that we fell in love with as soon as we saw it....and we're still paying for it. This home welcomed our two little boys into this world and was the place where we became a family of three and now four. I try to focus on the many blessings in our lives but some days are easier than others. Yesterday, however, was not one of those days. It was 80 degrees in San Antonio. It was January 30! We had a beautiful day taking a sunny ride to Boerne, a little town about 40 minutes away. We ate lunch outside and Gio was even able to feed some ducks at the river across the street. Right now, I'm taking the time to remember yesterday and make new memories today.

Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go!

I remember our first winter in Pittsburgh, the Bears went to the Superbowl against the Colts and I made my Blue and Orange cupcakes for work and donned my Orange skirt to the office and no one else really cared. I wasn't quite ready to be a Steelers fan but I knew it would come with time. Come on, our first born was born on a Monday night Steelers game--it was inevitable!!

Today, just a few short years later, my two boys and I wore our Bears apparel, only to be disappointed. NOTE: if we actually HAD Steelers apparel they would wear that, too, but their grandparents do not live in the 'burgh therefore don't buy Steelers jerseys!! Gio did wave his terrible towel before calling it a night! Although I simply respond to Gio's desire to move back to his house in Pittsburgh with an 'I'm sorry, honey'...I would love to be there now to cheer them on!!!!

Gio cannot wait for Max to be old enough to tackle him, but he is pretty tricky and walks up to Max like he will give him a great big bear hug, which undoubtedly turns into a tackle!!

A New Year, A New Day

I cannot believe that we are, for the most part, well into this new year full of so much potential. We began our new year with a trip to the pediatrician for Max who caught his brother's cough but it was a little bit more rough on him. I'm always worried that the RSV he had last year at this time will make him more prone to respiratory infections--and I was right. Poor little guy has Bronchiolitis, the children's form of bronchitis. He was given a nebulizer and we had to give him treatments for four days and the doc. thought he should have improved at that point. Unfortunately, he didn't really improve so we headed back to see the doctor who also prescribed an oral steroid to help his lungs open up. He began to improve but also began to despise the breathing treatments. He would not let me near him with the little mask and it became quite the struggle and stress for us all. As a mom, there is not much worse than seeing your child in pain and it broke my heart to see him struggle to return to better health. We returned to the pediatrician on Friday and the good news is that his lungs sound much better and we can start to do without the treatments but he has a new ear infection. This is his very first ear infection and I'm just so glad we lasted almost 14 months without one of those. Big brother was a little jealous that he wasn't checked by the doctor because cough, cough he didn't feel well either. Well, wouldn't you know, the perfectly healthy boy woke up Saturday with a horrible cough and coughed so much, he made himself sick. Pobrecito Gio. Today as I type, Max is napping and Gio is enjoying his nickjr marathon. He is a good sport and no matter how much I try to put him through a tv detox session, he is quiet, resting, drinking, and recovering from a really crummy night--something we both need. Unfortunately, this crazy month comes for us on the homestead while Bryan's job is equally, if not moreso, crazy. He is putting in long hours, sometimes not seeing the kids at all in a given day, but working hard to support our family and we all appreciate that very, very much. Every day is a new day and we are working very hard to make the most of it, embrace this special time with our beautiful boys. Even if that special time comes as a quiet moment to stop and watch them sleep, every moment is a special one.

Walk, Max, Walk