Happy Day!

I didn't go on a fancy trip. I went to the playground.

I didn't go out for a fancy dinner. I made pasta for my family.

(we did have a lovely dinner with bryan's parents the night before..hence the sombrero)

I didn't have an elaborate celebration. My 3 year-old decorated for me.

(we did enjoy a cupcake treat--miss you gigi)

I did however, enjoy every minute of my crazy life with my active boys. Being their mom is the greatest gift I could have ever asked for in this life.

I'm so blessed to have an amazing family and sweet friends who called or sent cards with beautiful words that I will treasure always.

A birthday is just another day. Another day to count my blessings and be grateful for the many treasures in my life.

Disclaimer: I know the the boys were not given equal screen time but as you can tell by the expression on Gio's face-he wasn't into pictures this day.

Oh Boy!!

Sometimes, in the midst of a crazy day, I stop and think to myself "do I really have TWO boys?" and "How can one child get this dirty?" Dirt and cleaning aside, it is so fun to see these little boys grow. I grew up playing with cabbage patch dolls and throwing softball and I am not accustomed to the tackling non-stop or being knee deep in a pile of mud. My sisters and I did have our fair share of tackling and fighting, but I'm not sure if it started as young as 15 months!!

As I am from a family with three girls with one poor, poor outnumbered brother, this is a whole new world of trucks and dinosaurs for me. I sometimes have to get children's books from the library just so I can keep up with them! I read these while I sip my 2nd, 3rd, or 4th cup of coffee that I need just to keep up with them. They do keep me feeling young at heart (either that or the coffee) but most nights I feel much, much older, but I'm pretty sure it is worth it.

With the ridiculously warm weather (ummm, it was only 93 degrees last week) and Bryan's parents preparing to do some major yard work, we had fun in the sun, the dirt, and the mud. They were fascinated with the idea of mud. They do love digging in the dirt but the addition of water made it extra special. These boys are filthy...and couldn't be happier! I just can't wait to teach them how to do their own laundry!!

Great Days

I find that I have the best days with my boys when we are doing such simple things like cuddling, chasing, tickling, and laughing. What is not to love about two boys laughing together? When I see them look at one another, I can see the love they share and a lifetime of adventures they are going to have. I am so excited to watch their relationship grow...and we're just getting started.

Thursday was a great day. We celebrated Gio's awesome listening and making his bed without being asked (lets hope he never asks us why we don't make our bed) We went on a little adventure to the Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio, a great outdoor shopping area that reminds me of Mt. Lebanon's Galleria but outdoors. We loved playing at the fountains, the playground, going to storytime AND a special lunch treat a chic-fil-a. It was lunch, I had to feed my children, and I needed a strawberry shake!! Alas, we came home, we napped, we had a great day. Of course, I don't take pictures of this portion of our great day, I take pictures of this: and this They were waking from naptime, relaxing with an afternoon show because after waking Gio up at 4:30 so he doesn't stay up until midnight, I thought it was the least I could do for him. The poor child. Pants are optional for my boys most days between the hours of 1:30-4:30..and when they play in the sand...and when we paint...the list goes on. Even watching Yo Gabba Gabba with my sleepy faced boys makes any day a great day!

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.