~Brotherly Love~

When we decided we wanted to add to our family, I had visions of Rowen oohing and ahhing over his new brother or sister, and wanting to be around the baby all the time.  He was going to be the most devoted two year old brother the world had ever seen, and I was going to be able capture millions of sweet little moments between my boys as their bond as brother grew.  I sometimes have very unrealistic expectations...

I am writing about the current state of brotherly love in our house because I know someday, maybe even someday soon, these two will be thick as thieves.  But for right now, Rowen simply tolerates the presence of Finnegan, and I think somewhere in his little two year old brain he thinks eventually that guy will pack his bags and go back to wherever it was he came from.   There is one time of the day that Rowen in happy to see Finnegan, and that is when he we are putting Finny to bed...the sheer joy on Rowen's face as he says 'night night baby' could almost be mistaken for love.  Almost. 

Finny on the other hand is madly in love with Rowen, thinks he is the funniest person in the world, and would be happy just sitting around watching Rowen go about his day, waiting patiently for him to throw him a smile or come over and say hello.  Occasionally this happens, and then Rowen remembers who Finnegan is, and goes back to his busy two year old things. In case you didn't know, two year olds are the busiest people in the world, and ain't nobody got time for little brothers! 

I know the day is coming.  The day when Finny finally takes off crawling, heading straight for Rowen's toys that he has been eying here for quite some time.   And when that day comes, and the battle of toys happens, and after the dust settles, I think we will see the brotherly love grow.  I think we will see Rowen appreciate having another little person around all of the time to play with, only after Finny learns which toys he cannot touch, including but not limited to all buzz lightyears, choo choos, and pirate ship little people. And maybe just maybe, Finnegan will finally have the attention of the big brother he seems to idolize.  

And if the love doesn't grow on that day, then they will have to work it out when Finnegan takes up residence with Rowen in a few months.  

We took this picture while on vacation. Clearly brotherly love hasn't arrived in the Rivera house, but maybe someday soon. Until that day we will keep laughing at the current state of affairs.

~Not Always Magical but Definitely Memorable~

Yesterday we returned from a week in Orlando-a little sun kissed, a wee bit tired, but overall happy.  Vacations aren't exactly easy in the normal capacity, but add in a 2 year old and a 6 month old, and they require a whole heck of a lot of patience, grace, and teamwork.  This week Rudy and I rocked the teamwork, which made everything that could be sometimes stressful a whole lot easier to deal with.  And although I whine, protest, and complained the entire time, our drive to and back from Florida was relatively enjoyable.

We rented a house for this Disney trip, and while we have always most recently stayed on property, this will most likely be the best option for us for the next few years.  Everyone had their own space, we could all unwind, and daily swims in the pool in the backyard were mandatory.  It was wonderful. 

This wasn't Rowen's first trip to Disney, but it was Finnegan's, and while he was along for the ride more often than not, I think his first trip had just enough pixie dust to be magical.  Yes I love obnoxious Disney references, shoot me.

 Rowen in his sweet two year old temperamental state would of been happy as a clam just swimming in the pool all day, but he too showed signs of joy and wonder at meeting some of his current heroes.  I hope the expressions of joy stay for at least our next few trips because those are what I find most magical.  

Each trip we take to Disney is different, but special.  Rowen is at a hard age, and while there were moments of disappointment (mainly on my part) he did seem to have a great time, and I think what he enjoyed most was spending a whole week with us.  There were no five am wake up calls, bedtimes were pushed back, sweet treats were aplenty, and there was even a late night dinner complete with T-Rex and a meteor shower.  

And our sweet sweet Finny.  My favorite moments with Finny this trip were in the early mornings, when we would bring him into our bed before getting up for the day, and he would babble and roll around with us.  He truly is such an easy going happy little baby and loves just being part of the group. The entire vacation he was probably happiest riding around in the Ergo taking in the sites.  I know this is probably the last vacation where he won't be completely on the go, so it was nice to have his sweet little baby rolls to cuddle with often! 

One of my favorite parts of this vacation, and all others, is the pictures.  I know I can be a bit annoying demanding pictures all the time, but when we get home, and see all of the expressions and moments captured, I am so happy.  This is one of those pictures that we have a version of from every trip we have gone on, and while the first round didn't turn out too great, I am glad we went back a second time and captured this, my new favorite family photo.  

Disney creates a lot of magic for you, but its the memories that you make with the magic that are important. And we have plenty of memories to last us until next time. 

~This and That~

Well I fell off the blog wagon again, but that is ok.  Life is busy, but good, so good, and right now we are in a happy, happy place.  

In two days we will be heading south to Florida for some fun in the sun, and to Disney World!  Rudy and I talk nonstop about how we can't wait to see the sheer excitement on Rowen's face when he meets all of his current favorite people, including 'Mickneeey' and 'Buzzzz'.  When we aren't busy with the magic we will be spending our time here....can't wait!

Rowen is pretty obsessed with anything and everything Rudy does right now. This includes cutting the grass. Today I came home, and while Finny was sleeping my two big guys were busy cutting the front lawn...

I can't forget about our sweet sweet Finny.  On Wednesday he will be six months old...whoa, that went a bit too fast! While he is almost always covering himself (and me) in some form of spit up, he is the sweetest little blob of a baby, drool and all.  He is always lighting up with big gummy grins and has entered the phase where you put him down and he no longer stays put! 

Check out those cheeks!

Yesterday we quietly celebrated Mother's Day, and it was wonderful.  We spent most of the day prepping for our trip, cuddling on the couch, and enjoying time as a family.  We capped it off with a nice dinner out for Mexican, momma's favorite!  We tried to get a picture or two of me and the boys and this is the best we got...

We have a busy few days coming up and then we are off!  Hopefully I will stay on top of blogging our trip!