Oh Boy...He's 2

Joey has been 2 for 3 months now but with each passing day he becomes more of the 2 year old we had always worried about having. As parents you are always forewarned of the different stages you will face with your children & we never felt like Johnnie went through the terrible 2s so we just assumed that people must be exaggerating. Until our boy Joey turned 2. He is every bit of the terrible that people described. Pouty, feisty, whiny, needy, quick to hit & very much that child you see who throws himself down on the floor in a fit when he doesn't get what he wants. But as terrible as he is, he is one of the most loving, happy & smiley children you have ever met. He loves ball sports especially basketball & golf. He is also our child that makes us laugh a ton. For instance this weekend I was sitting at my desk while the boys played in the backyard. I looked out the window & saw this. His pants weren't down because he had to use the bathroom but just down because he deosn't like to wear pants. He is constantly pushing them down around his ankles & just running around. I told you he's feisty & stubborn. He too enjoys bathtime & of course likes to try & turn it into a sport, usually baseball even if the only bat he has is a tiny toothbrush. You bring so much joy to our lives Jojo & really how hard could another 9 months be until you turn 3, huh? Especially when we have this smile to look at! We love you little guy!

42 months is just another name

for 3 1/2 years old. But If I continue to refer to Johnnie's age in months it seems as though he is younger than he truly is. My ever growing boy is still surprising us daily with all that he knows & of course all that he is happy to share with us. For instance this evening he was holding wooden spoons while I was cooking holding different spoons. He says to me "You have those spoons & I have these." Maybe all 3 years olds have these grammar skills but I was surprised nonetheless. He is so sweet with his little brothers. Always asking if they are okay & forever trying to hold their hands even when they don't want him to. After all the photos I have taken of him over the years I usually get "No mama, no more pictures." But tonight while he & the other boys were playing with the pots & pans in the kitchen he asked me to take a picture of him so I happily went to get my camera & when I came back this is what I found. My boy sitting inside a pot grinning up at me. He's a truly beautiful child inside & out. He is caring, happy, sweet, playful & totally adoring of superheroes (especially Batman & Spiderman). He is very talkative. Constantly telling us stories about things going on in his everyday life or to tell us some of his imaginative made up stories. We love hearing his ever improving language skills but WOW! nobody warned us that he could speak nonstop & often does. It sure does make life entertaining though. And so does this photo. It just makes me happy because he was having so much fun. And he was really enjoying his mini photo shoot. And here is his official 3 1/2 year old, excuse me 42 month photo! I love you baby boy & thank you for giving me the chance to capture that real smile that melts my heart!

The Faces of Jimmy

Our baby boy turned 13 months old today. He is such a fireball of a kid. He lets you know when he's happy & when he's not. The only words he can say are still mama & dada, but he babbles other sounds nonstop. He signs "All Done" & "More". He is such a joy. Smiling, giggling, playing with his brothers (inside & outside the house), enjoying trying & usually liking most foods & LOVING bath time. Splashing in the water, playing with all the bottles of shampoo/soap & just loving the warm water. Seeing his face warms my heart! The way those sometimes blue/sometimes green & sometimes gray (is that hazel?) but always mama adoring eyes look at me makes me feel proud like I did something right! I will miss your baby days but look forward to watching you grow in to a wonderful toddler. Happy monthly birthday Jimmy. We adore you too!

Girls Getaway in Words & Photos (Of Course)

Finding a good friend is a rare occurrence & I have been lucky enough to find many. I have been best friends with a group of girls since we were 11 & 12 years old. Last week I was lucky enough to go to Cabo San Lucas with 2 of them for 5 days. No children, no husbands, just us girls. Books, magazines, fruity drinks, beautiful scenery, the sun & lots of laughter.

Upon our arrival Heather & I decided to start our vacation off with a cocktail while we waited for Kristy to arrive. We grew up 3 houses apart & were inseparable so it's really nice to have these vacations to spend hours together catching up in person & we couldn't be happier to be together! I have only had sips of wine for the last 4 years so after one pina colada I was feeling pretty happy. So we just sat in deck chairs & watched the sun go down over the condos. We used our 1st night together to have a quiet dinner just trying to unwind & get in vacation mode. Each of our mornings started with a workout (heaven for me since I love working out & only get to do it a few days a week), a nice breakfast in the room & then some hours spent at the pool. We spent most of the day just laying in the sun reading books (& sometimes reading in the pool) & we were very happy to partake in happy hour. Who can pass up 2 for 1 drinks? (Not Kristy) Our 2nd night we took a cab in to town to have a nice dinner on the marina with some music & were highly entertained with a lot of people watching because we happen to be on vacation at the same as a ton of festive spring breakers.One of our days was little overcast but still warm so we decided to head in to town for some souvenir shopping followed by a long dinner. (Again heavenly since most of my dinners are eaten cold trying to keep 3 children from getting upset at the table.) On a recommendation we ate at Sunset de Mona Lisa. A beautiful restaurant overlooking the town of Cabo right on a cliffside. We were the 1st people at the restaurant so we were given a great table with an amazing view. Right as we were seated Kristy commented that we should make this a 4 hour dinner & we did that plus an extra hour for good measure. We enjoyed a cocktail, appetizers, salad, a main course, wine, dessert & coffees. And just like all the other diners who eventually arrived we took lots of pictures. Our last full day together was once again spent in the sun by the pool followed by a great dinner on the beach. The next day Heather & I left for home leaving Kristy to enjoy her last 2 days on vacation privately with most likely some welcome quiet. Thank you so much for making this vacation possible & opening your condo to us. I miss you & really wish you didn't live all the way in Boston. Until next time I leave you with this last photo of us longtime friends together. I hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for our next vacation & hopefully next time all 6 of us will be able to spend an amazing few days together. I love you girls! And thank you so much Rick (& my family) for giving me the opportunity to do this. I missed you lots.

The Luck of the Irish

Hope your day was full of green, good luck & love. Johnnie & Joey had a St. Patrick's Day parade at school followed by cupcakes, cookies & juice. I tried getting a photo of them together but they were having none of that. But this photo does show how cute their outfits were. They worked hard to make them. Johnnie was really excited waiting for his cupcake. Joey was not interested in smiling for the camera, just busy eating. And I needed a pic of Jimmy in his St. Patty's Day shirt (I'd Rather Be Lucky Than Good). He was busy showing us his new skill of pointing. After bed time we had a wonderful evening shared with my dad. Guinness, corned beef & cabbage & feelings of good luck & love, but no green.

10 on Tuesday

1. I knew having children would be the hardest & best thing that ever happened to Rick & me but no one told me that it would sometimes be the funniest moments in life. Johnnie LOVES all things superheroes. Underwear, pajamas, books, tee-shirts, etc. And on this night before we left for dinner Johnnie was being his "superboy" self, running around in his Batman underroos & his "superhero" boots. So funny! 2. I am so over the rain. We definitely need it but keeping our boys in the house all weekend makes for very long days. They tend to go stir crazy, running all over the house, yelling & well basically trying our patience. We miss you sun. Come stay for awhile.

3. Jimmy now loves Word World just like his older brothers. When the theme song starts he quickly walks over to the television, claps & starts bouncing his knees up & down. And because we don't ask him to move away from the tv, Johnnie & Joey run up & join in. 4. Joey also loves to take off his pants & run around. You can't tell in this photo, but he also likes to remove his diaper as well. Like I said they make us laugh a lot. 5. So during one of our rainy days inside we let the boys sit at the island painting, coloring & stamping. Lesson learned by mama. DO NOT GO UPSTAIRS TO CLEAN WHILE SAID SUPPLIES ARE STILL LAYING AROUND. Johnnie was very proud of his stamping on the stair wall, his bedroom wall & some cabinets.6. So I put him to work cleaning the wall. Not really a punishment since he absolutely loves to spray & wipe as he calls it.7. And it definitely didn't teach him anything because not long after cleaning the walls he looked like this. 8. And our couch cushion looked like this. Once again he was very proud to show his art work & then he said "Spray & wipe"? NO. You can't spray & wipe off the couch. Again I say one of the hardest things in life. 9. I will soon be heading out on my own without Rick & the boys to Cabo San Lucas with two of my best friends. My very 1st vacation away from my babies. I will miss them all so much but am looking forward to some sleep & relaxation & recharing my patience batteries.

10. Jimmy only takes one 2 hour nap a day at daycare so he usually falls asleep on the drive home. And sometimes he is so sleepy that he stays asleep going from the carseat to the house. So sweet & so innocent. And as Rick pointed out this morning, "Isn't it sad that we as human beings lose this innocence at some point?" Maybe my kids will be the lucky ones who don't.

Grandpa Love

Grandpa holds a very special place in the hearts of Johnnie & Joey. He always has & I'm sure he always will. But over the past few months it has become very obvious that Jimmy is not only a mama's boy but also a grandpa's boy. Right when he walks in the front door Jimmy waddles over to him, demands to be picked up & pretty much stays attached to him until he leaves. It melts my heart to see it & just makes me so very happy to know my boys love my dad as much as I do.