~Capturing the Magic~

I've discovered that each night around this time I have just a little space of time to myself.  The kitchen is clean, the soft humming of the dishwasher usually providing a pleasant rhythm in the background.  Both boys are in bed, although the oldest may not yet be asleep as I sometimes hear shouts and giggles echoing through the foyer. Rudy is out practicing his golf swing, longing for the warm days when he can go put his practice into play.  Jack and Lola are faithfully laying at my feet, trying to soak up some of the heat from the gas fireplace I'm just not ready to give up yet (maybe the only thing about winter I'm not ready to give up).

I could be using this time to run, but I find running at night daunting, especially after a day that started over 14 hours ago, and my goal is to now tackle that first thing in the morning, we will see how pleasantly I greet 4 am. I could be using the time to decorate our new house, but I must recognize this is a process, one that took me almost three years to complete in our house a third the size of this one.  Hopefully that does not mean it will take nine years for me to love this house like I did our little house.  One thing I was decent at in the little house was carving out time to record our memories over here in our blog, something I just haven't done so well since we have relocated.

That being said, I'm going to try again.  Something I have said several times, but keep contemplating. Yesterday I came back to my blog, and I loved reading the little things about my boys, particularly Rowen, that I had remembered to capture here. Because more often than not, these fleeting moments in their lives escape my day to day memories, and I want to hold onto these little pieces of magic forever.  And for now, this is the place I choose to hold them.

I want to remember the way the bond between my little boys is growing, each and every day.  How sometimes they can be fighting over the same toy, hollering at the tops of their lungs, and in the next moment Rowen is placing a kiss on the top of his little brother's head.  Or the way our wild spirited  Finny runs and hides when you say its bedtime, but once caught lays on your chest offering a curled hand wave and nigh-nigh all the way up the stairs as he clutches his many gators to his chest. How they both get way too excited for Pizza.  How we have dance parties to classical renditions of pop songs and Disney music multiple times a day. Or how Rudy and I lament almost daily at how quickly time is passing as we watch more and more of the toddler-ness shed from Rowen, the kindest, sweetest little almost three year old we have ever loved.

These memories are small but precious, and ones like these will hopefully span my lifetime.  I'm planning to come back to my space more often in the quiet time I have found.  Remembering, and recording these memories is more important to me than I realized. And hopefully one day when I look back, I will of captured the magic that is our ordinary wonderful little life.

Blurbs

Well my blogging fell off for the last few months, but on the long list of things we have been up to blogging about it fell pretty low on the priority list.  But one of my goals for this season and the upcoming year is to get back at it since this is the easiest forum for me to document our lives.  

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In late August we moved! We had been talking for over a year about moving and finding a more permanent home in the area, with more space for our growing family.  While we loved our little house, we hadn't planned on two babies in that house, and the time had come to find something for our family as it is now.  So we packed up, said our goodbyes and moved about 25 miles away to what will hopefully be our forever home.  

We have been in our home for almost four months and we are slowly making progress on making it our own.  Our first order of business was extensive painting, and since then we have been piecing it together.  It took us almost three years to really love our other home and make it feel like it reflected our style so we are our taking our time on this house as well, but I know eventually (with a lot of patience) it will be the house of our dreams!

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With our whirlwind move, we have taken the last few months to really relax and just enjoy family time.  The boys are thriving, and playing together, and I hope to do a post on some of the little personality things they have right now that we simply adore.  

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Most nights this is the scene in our house as they crowd around the tree to run the choo-choo.  We are heading north to Nana and Pop-Pop's house in just under two weeks, and these train loving little boys are going to be in train heaven with all of the train's pop-pop is setting up in anticipation of their arrival! 

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Last month we celebrated Finnegan's first birthday. I thought the first year with Rowen went really fast, but I can honestly say that I think this year went faster.  Our days are blessed by this sweet little boy and we can't imagine life without him or his brother.  He is having surgery this weekend, and hopefully it will only be a little blip in his story.

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On four different occasions I have tried unsuccessfully to take a picture of the boys for a Christmas card.  I don't know that I will get an actual picture of them where they don't look like they are being punished (even though they are being bribed with m&m's) or someone is crying, so I may not send out Christmas cards this year, which on initial thought made me a little sad, but I know won't be the end of the world. 

If all else fails, I do have one back-up...

Well I think this was a good little recap, and hopefully my blogging will pick back up! 

Beeper, Bitty, and Buzz...

While things have been rather quiet here in our little corner of the internet, it has been anything but quiet outside of the computer.  In the last two months we have made the decision to move, found a home, will be closing mid next month, and will be renting our current home out.  It is a lot, and while there is oodles more I could mention on that topic, today I would like to talk about my three little boys: Beeper, Bitty, and Buzz.  Yes I said three, and no, there isn't a baby, but rather a space ranger.

Dear Beeper,

Our sweet first born.  Gone are most of the traces of the wobbly little baby esk boy you once were as most of your baby fat has gone away on your journey into toddlerhood. Each and everyday you teach your dad and I new things about being parents, especially now as we are traveling through the wild woods of toddlerhood.  Some days things are great, and some days are harder for your little soul, but you are learning and growing, and we constantly see the lightbulb turning on as something new clicks with you.  Your vocabulary has taken off!  I know I wasn't the most patient about this, but as I have learned, you will do things in your own time, and talking was the same.  On the way to school you love to point out the busses, and trucks, and your two favorite words are probably buzz and baby, what you call Finn.  You are also starting to sing, and we catch bits and pieces of the theme song from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, your current favorite. Speaking of Finn, you love him these days, and when he isn't trying to tackle you or steal your favorite toys, you seem pretty happy to have him around. You are such a sweet little boy, and it shines through in your big personality.  You still love to give hugs and kisses, especially when you are the definition of a sweaty and sticky little boy.  We love you so much Beeper!

Dear Bitty,

Sweet, loud, WILD, Bitty.  You are so different from your brother in so many unexpected ways, and parenting you in a lot of ways seems like a wonderfully different experience.  Not to be forgotten, your BIG personality shouts through, and if we aren't paying enough attention to you, you make sure we know your displeasure.  In the last two months you have lost all traces of a little baby, and I often lament to your dad that you are simply growing too fast.  From the minute you wake up in the morning you are moving, always on the go.  This past weekend you figured out how to stand up in your crib, and you were pleased as pie with your new found skill.  Your teachers as school politely describe you as busy, and most days when we pick you up you are climbing up on something, and when you hear us  you turn around with a big gummy grin.  I don't think your grin will remain the same for long, as you have your first tooth, and I'm sure many more will join it soon.   In the meantime, you think you can eat everything we are eating, and start hollering and hooting if we don't give you a taste of what we have.  You are big Bitty, and can be described as solid.  About two weeks ago when you weren't feeling so well you weighed in at almost 21 lbs, and this weekend you started wearing the same clothes that your brother wore last summer when he was around 16 months.  I have a feeling shortly after the new year you two may be in the same size.  Speaking of your brother, you love him, your face lights up when he pays attention to you, and you turn absolutely giddy when we let you down on the floor to play with him, although right now your favorite game is to attempt to climb up on him, which he isn't too fond of.  You have such a happy easy going personality Bitty man, and these almost nine months with you as part of our family have been truly magical!

Dear Buzz,

I didn't think I wanted a third son, but you are around so much these days that you might as well be an official family member.  You are often the source of many tears though sir, so if you could stay in your designated area instead of falling with style during dinner, book time, and bed time we would greatly appreciate it.  Beeper simply doesn't understand that you are not an extension of his arm.  Now I understand that you have information about the evil emperor zurg, but I doubt you are the only one who knows it given how often you mention this information, just saying.  And while I'm happy you are around most days, I know in the future you may become the main source of  sibling fighting, so if you could help keep the peace with your laser beam and karate chop action figure skills that would be greatly appreciated.  I'm sure you are going to be around for years so this is only the beginning of our relationship with you.

We love you Beeper, Bitty, AND Buzz!

~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! 

Squirt Toys and Big Boy Smiles

A little over two weeks ago, maternity leave ended, and I went back to work.  Our 'new normal' routine hasn't been entirely figured out just yet, and will hopefully get a little easier this week since Rudy returned to his job, but for now the days are long.  I wouldn't describe them as hard days, but they are long, and between dinners, bottles, baths, and trying to keep our house from looking like a tornado flew threw it, we haven't entirely figured out when we are supposed to breath.  I know once the dust settles things will seem easy again, we will have our routine, and all of the upheaval of the last few weeks will be the norm.  But for now, its tiring.

More often than not in the last week I have been wishing time away.  When we get home I'm wishing it was bedtime for the boys, and bedtime for me.  When  I wake up, I wish the day was already done. 0At the beginning of the week I'm wishing it was Friday. And on Sunday I start wishing the whole week away again to get to Friday.  

But while I'm busy wishing time away, my boys are growing, they are changing, and in the busy hubble bubble of the day, I'm missing their time.  Last night I sat down on the floor with my camera while giving Rowen a bath.  I couldn't recall the last time I took pictures of him while he was playing in the tub, and felt that I needed these pictures of this moment.

And as I was snapping away, peaking here and there through my camera roll while Row was busy directing his orchestra of squirt toys, I realized just how much he is changing.  His smiles, his eyes, the shape of his face, its all changing.  This sweet little baby that made me a mother is quickly becoming a big boy, and if I don't stop and enjoy little moments like this, I might miss the joy and excitement of my almost two year old sweetheart.   

When Rudy and I are old and these little boys that are cluttering my house with dump trucks and trains are gone and grown, I don't want my memories to be filled by how long the days were, but instead filled by images of laughter, love, and sweet little boys with squirt toys in the tub.  

Saying Goodbye to 2012

If I had to sum up the last year in one word, I would call it Magical. Now I'm not going to sit here and say the whole year was sunshine and rainbows, because lets be real there were days that weren't so pretty,  but on the whole, it was an amazing year.  Not only did we grow in size as a family, I believe we grew in so many aspects of our life--our marriage, our home, our patience, our hearts, our faith--the list could go on.

While  I thought about doing a recap of the year, I don't think I'm going to because I know there will be something that I forget to include.  I just want to remember the moments, like the day we found out we would be gifting Rowen with one of the most amazing things we as parents could give him, a brother, our dear sweet Finnegan, who doesn't yet know how much joy he has brought to our family.  Its moments like these, that made 2012 magical.  So here is a list, with not a whole lot of detail, of some of our moments of 2012:

-Finding out our family was growing
-Celebrating Rowen's first birthday
-Rowen taking off walking
-Taking Rowen to Disney
-Summertime swim days
-Seeing Joe graduate
-It's a boy!
-Rehoboth Beach
-The great raisin incident
-walks, walks, and more walks
-EAGLE
-Watching a dear friend marry her best friend
-Visiting the zoo
-Doing over two little boy rooms
-Day date
-Trips to the pumpkin patches
-carving pumpkins
-eating ribs
-Halloween
-A visit from grandpa and a first trip to the train store
-Seeing Flight
-Meeting Finnegan!
-Seeing my boy's meet and grandma meeting Finn
-Our first Thanksgiving as a family of four
-pneumonia and a three week (the worst week ever)
-Driving lights, Christmas trees, and a purple hippo
-First family road trip
-Finnegan's first New England Christmas

2012 was a glimpse of great years to come.  When my boys are teenagers, and hopefully best friends, I will remember these last few weeks of 2012 as their first few weeks together, the beginning of their bond as brothers.  

So Goodbye 2012, you have been great to the Rivera Family, and we will remember you fondly in the years to come.

Our Christmas

Merry the day after Christmas, isn't it sad that the day has come and gone? We had a wonderful Christmas and made the most of the day as a family.  

On Christmas Eve, Rowen spent much of his day running his choo choo.  My dad built a train table at his level, and since we have been here he has been obsessed with this table. I'm pretty sure he will miss it when when we go back home. 

One of my favorite things about Christmas at home is all of the decorations around the house.  I could write an entire post on each room filled with Christmas cheer, and its definitely one of the things that helps make everything 'feel' like Christmas.

Everyone that joins the family gets their own stocking, and over the years the entire mantle has been filled up. I also took a picture to capture my sweet little family of four's stockings this year, with the newest addition being Mr. Finnegan's stocking!

That night my mom surprised us with matching pajamas and we herded the cats to try to get a picture or two!  Finnegan was sleeping, and we were hoping for a little sleep through the night so we didn't wake him to join the picture.

Before bed Row enjoyed a little train time with Aunt Regan.

On Christmas morning we were woken by this little angel. Everyone else got an extra hour of much needed sleep and we enjoyed cuddles with Mr. Finn.

Once everyone was up we started opening up gifts...

Rowen loved his mini trains so much that he pretty much couldn't be bothered to play with any other toy for the rest of the day...

We spent the rest of the day hanging out, laughing, and eating way too much delicious food.  All in all Christmas 2012 was a wonderful day, spent with all of the people I love most in this world!