Family Visit 2013

We had our "Annual" Family Visit these past few weeks! It's become a bit of a tradition (at least over the last few years) That my sister and her family escape the cold Wisconsin springs over my nephews Spring Break and come enjoy the heat for a week or so. My parents always come down too, and it's become something that we all look forward too every year!

Can you tell L is excited?!?

This trip ended up being a long one, which was awesome because we got to fit in so much! One of the first things we did was let the boys have a big sleepover at our house. (My parents own a vacation home down here in the same area of us, so that's where everyone usually stays!) This was L's first sleepover, and he was so excited! He really worships his cousins and wanted to be with them every second that they were here!

We also did a camping trip again, just like we did last year. I love camping and we hardly ever get out and go anymore, but I have to say, it was a bit intimidating with all the kids! Everyone did good though, the weather was nice, and it was really nice to come home and shower after two days!

 I look like I have no hair! Just wearing a beanie! 

 L thought the fact that we turned out car into a bed was the best thing ever!

 L2 got a little worn out!

After we recovered from camping out next big adventure was taking the kids to the World Wildlife Zoo. This place is pretty cool, and like right down the street from us practically, but I admit that I have never been. It's just really super expensive!  But we went and it was enough fun that I think I'll be keeping my eye out for discounts so we can go again!

 Feeding the giraffes!

 The aquarium

 This was the point that L decided he thought the fish were scary!

And finally, we capped out an amazing visit with Easter Weekend! Unfortunately my parents ended up having to leave yesterday, and my sister and her family flew out this afternoon, but we still got to decorate eggs and have an Easter breakfast and egg hunt!

 My sister and out babies!!!! 

Baby cousins born two days apart!

We're all a little bummed out tonight, especially L, since everyone is gone now. The house seems too quite and it's strange not having a bunch of plans on the table tomorrow. I miss my family and these visits every year just reinforce to me how much I'd like to be closer to them!

So tomorrow it's back to normal life and normal routines!

Recital Time!

L had his first "school recital" last night. I use the term "school recital" loosely, because it wasn't your usual school cafeteria type of shindig. Rather, the parent company that runs L's school does a big fundraiser every year and they ask for volunteers from all of the classes to come and sing a few numbers. (Hello? A bunch of cute kiddos singing off tune.... it's donation heaven!) Anyway, we volunteered and for the last month of so L has been practicing "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee" and "Doe-Rae-Mi" both at school and at home.
He had been really excited about it, but when we finally arrived at the theater last night he got really shy and I was actually a little worried he wouldn't go on stage!

 Doing some Piano warm ups!

Mama trying to get him to relax and have fun!

Anyway, we had about an hour wait and that gave him some time to calm down and start playing with his friends! He went on, and while he stood more in the back and I think did more swaying than actual singing, he still did it and I was so proud of him! It was really, really cute and I'm so glad we volunteered for it!

Getting ready to go on!

He did so good, and events like this just remind me what a big boy he is becoming! 

L's "first" Party

L had his "first" birthday party to attend today. He has been to other parties, but they have all been for kids whose parents S and I are friends with, and mostly have been first birthdays with a lot of adult and just a smattering of kiddos in attendance. This was his first party that he was invited to by a classmate and with all of his school friends going too. (Have I mentioned how much I am absolutely loving this whole school thing? Class parties, scholastic book orders, recitals and now birthday parties with friends? Love!!!)

S thinks I'm being a bit silly for being so excited about this, but it just feels like such a milestone. My baby is growing up. And I know in there will be a point in the future where birthday parties won't be a huge deal, and also where I may begin to dread them. I figure up until about fifth grade your in the situation of getting invited to every single birthday party for every single kid in the class, and I can see how that might start to get old. And then sixth grade and into the middle school years you start getting into "not being invited" territory. (Just typing that made a knot in my heart.) And lastly there will be the high school and college years where with the mere mention of the word party I'm going to have to be worrying about alcohol and bad decisions.

Oiy. I just made myself anxious for the coming years typing all that! So, silly or not, I think I will take this moment to just be excited about his fun, innocent, drama free "first" birthday party!

He's been excited about it all week, although the weather turned so bad this weekend I was worried it may not even happen. It did, but it was freaking cold! It's pretty rare to have a genuinely cold and rainy weekend in Phoenix, but of course we had it today! Despite the chilly weather, the party was a success. L had a blast playing with all his little friends, and I got a chance to meet a lot of the other moms in his class, which was nice!

Gathering candy from the pinata!

Pin the cupcake!

Getting face paint on his hand! He refused to get anything on his face!

Lunch, cupcakes and signing to the birthday girl!

Don't worry, L2 got in on the action too! He had fun playing in the park!

the big 2-9

Well, we are two days into me being 29..... and so far, it looks like I"m going to survive! In all honesty, despite the fact that I was pretty bummed/anxious/sad about turning 29, I had a great weekend. I had my parents in town, I had my amazing husband and my two lovely boys, and I had great friends. Really, what more could a girl ask for? But in all seriousness, this birthday did hit me hard. Something about 30  (which is next) just sounds so.... old........ to me. But it's more than that, it's also something about the road not traveled. And I want to preface what I"m about to say by saying that I love, love, love my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love my boys, I love my husband and I am so lucky to be where I am.

With that being said, when your in you early 20's, and younger, there is always this sense of time. Of choice. Before you are tied down and have a family and have roots, the future is an unknown map. Maybe you will move to NYC and work for a big name magazine. Maybe you will have a loft apartment, that although is the size of a matchbox, has gleaming hardwood floors and a view to die for and a history and decorating scheme that is all your own. (Obviously, one of my dreams when I was younger.) Maybe you will back up your bag and head to Europe, working in small cafes and bookstores and spending your weekends learning french (or Italian or Spanish) and eating croissants. (another dream) Or maybe you'll spend your time in Southern California, learning to surf and doing something in the entertainment industry. You get the point. The thing is, we all dream big when we are younger. And thank goodness for that..... what would the world be like if we didn't have the dreams of our youth? But, more often then not, we all have many, many dreams and it would be impossible for every dream we have to come true in one lifetime. In addition to fashion magazines, and Europe and studio apartments I also dreamed about being a wife. About being a mommy. And I think, even if any of those other dreams had come true, but being a wife and mommy had not, that would be the dream that I truly regretted not coming true. I am living my dream life right now, the life that I often fantasized about when I was younger. The only downside is that I'm at the point in my life that , because of all my amazing blessing, I have to truly let go of those other dreams. I'm not going to be moving to NYC anytime soon (S hates crowds and he has no desire to go east), nor am I going to pack up my two kids and move to Europe. Although Southern California isn't totally out of the realm of possibility, I would be a stay at home mommy rather than an entertainment guru, and in my "old age" I've realized sharks really scare me, so surfing is probably out.

But you know what? I wouldn't trade my children and my husband and my mortgage and my looming 30th birthday for all the glamour and glitz in the world. Although it's sad to pack up those old dreams and desires, it also make me appreciate exactly where I am in my life, and all I have to be grateful for. So I welcomed me 29th, and I"m excited to see what this next year bring for me. And even though L keeps saying I'm 24, and I'm totally not going to argue with him, I think I've made peace with this birthday. Well, peace until the next birthday at least. I can't promise I won't have a major meltdown at 30!

I don't have a lot of pictures from this weekend, but the one big thing I did that I did manage to break out the  camera for was the Lozilu Mud Run on the morning of my birthday.I did this run last year, and I am now officially on my third 5K! I'm really glad I decided to do this run again, even though it fell on my birthday. Honestly, it was a great way to celebrate and to spend time with some of my best girls and to really have fun, instead of moping about!

Before the run, looking cute!

I'm feeling victorious after emerging from a horribly stinky and muddy tunnel, right before the finish line!

After the race. We are cold and muddy and smelly and sore..... but so happy to be right where we are!

Three Day Weekend and beyond!

Well, we had a busy three-day weekend, followed by a busy week! I can't believe it's almost Friday again! Trust me, I'm not complaining, it just feels like the last week flew by! (OK, maybe I'm complaining a little bit. My 29th birthday is on Saturday, and I may or may not be a little teeny tiny bit freaking out about entering the last year of my 20's!)  But besides that, I'm totes fine!

Anyway.......

We did have a busy weekend. On Saturday we did a family photo shoot that was long overdue. I realized when we were painting, and I was taking all the pictures off of our walls that we have almost all pictures of L, and hardly any of L2. And the pictures we have of L2 are all just home snapshots, while L has at least two professional shoots under his belt. Mommy guilt kicked in big time so I found us a photographer asap and booked her!

We should be getting our disk of pictures in the next week, but here is a sneak peek that she sent me!

We also had my parents come into town last weekend. It's so nice when family comes to visit, the boys love it and it's just such a nice shakeup in our everyday routine. It's especially nice when my parents come to visit because they actually have bought a vacation home here! It's literally right down the street from us, so while we get the full experience of a family visit I don't have the stress of having people staying in our house and feeling like every nook and cranny needs to by scrubbed and organized!

Our big adventure was we took both boys hiking up at the White Tank Mountains. Honestly? I have never been much of a hiker. I distinctly remember throwing fits about my parents dragging my hiking as a teenager. (Around beautiful Lake Tahoe, none the less. Teenagers are stupid, BTW.) I've always been more of a contact sport, running sort of girl, but oddly I was pretty excited for this. It was a beautiful, cool day and L actually did the whole two mile hike with no (OK, only a few) complaints!

The only downside to the hike? Well, what happens when your wonderful, adorable, oh-so-forgetful husbands forgets to pack the ergo carrier? Well, poor L2 ended up in a handcrafted "carrier" made out of S's camel pack. It was most certainly not ideal..... but we made it work.

And, finally, the last exciting part of our weekend/week? After years of me complaining about our old, hand-me-down couches that we have had since before we were even engaged, we finally got a new couch for for our family room! And I love it. It is so big and so comfy and so perfect for cuddling little babies and watching movies with handsome husbands!

Well, Saturday is the big day, so I will let you all know how turning the big 2-9 goes!

Happy V Day

Happy Valentine's Day! People seem to have very mixed feelings about this particular holiday.... you either love it or really, really hate it. I for one, love it! (But to be honest I pretty much love any holiday. If there's a reason to celebrate.... well, anything..... bring it on!) Even when I was younger and single, I liked spending the night going to dinner with my girlfriends and drinking wine and watching sappy movies. And S and I have had our fair share of romantic Valentine's Days, ones that included bouquets of flowers and jewelry and fancy dinners out. After almost five years of marriage and two children, the need to impress, or spoil, is not really there anymore, and I'm OK with that. Flowers? Sure, what girl doesn't love to get flowers, but the realistic part of me now chimes in, reasoning what is the point of spending an over-inflated amount on some roses that are going to die within the week. And Jewelry? Love, love, love jewelry. But, with a three year old and a fifteen month old I don't have a lot of occasions to wear anything fancy anymore. We still exchange small gifts, but they tend to be more practical and smaller tokens, rather than large extravagant gestures. This year I got S a small bottle of Saki and a nice polo shirt and he got me a pair of pajamas from Victoria's Secret and some really cute owl salt and pepper shakers. (FYI? love me so owls!) I also picked up a bottle of wine, made cupcakes (because, every celebration deserves some funfetti deliciousness) and cooked us  homemade "dinner" of appetizers. We played with the boys while sipping wine and munching on homemade spinach dip, veal meatballs, and fresh mozzarella bruschetta. I had thought about hitting blockbuster to rent us the traditional sappy movie, but we opted instead to catch up on the Walking Dead on Netflix. It may not be the most over the top, romantic Valentines Day ever, but honestly, it is the perfect night to me and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!

(This was S's gift..... I realize now that it may have been a tad misleading, seeing as how it contained a polo shirt for him, as opposed to, say, some sexy lingerie!)

We are taking advantage of our gyms "dinner and a movie" program tomorrow night and dropping the kiddos off for a few hours while we go and enjoy an "adults only" dinner, so I am excited for the opportunity to go out, dress up, and who knows, maybe even wear some fancy jewelry!

And, all the grown up activities of today aside, probably the best part of my holiday is the fact that L had his first every Valentine's Day party at school! I was so excited to help him pick out the perfect Cars themed Valentines and address them to all of his new little friends  and he was so excited to show me the craft that they did! He also made me a very sweet little Valentine's Card that will definitely be going in the memory box.!

So, that was our day, I hope all of you out there had an equally as perfect day, whether it included roses and diamonds or sippy cups and Netflix! We are looking forward to a long three day weekend that included a family photo session (long, long overdue.... I realized when we painted for every one picture of L2 we have we have about ten of L!) (Also, if you schedule a photo shoot solely around the thought of getting some good  pictures of your youngest? Your youngest will, with out a doubt, get in a fight with the corner of a desk and end up with a huge cut and a swollen nose.), S having Monday off, and my parents coming in for a visit!

Happy Valentine's Day!