We survived....

Some of my favorite moments from the 6 days with the cousins ( 5 under 6 years).  These are the moments I'm choosing to hold onto....as they were surrounded, filled and overwhelmed by some really tough ones.  The boys LOVE each other and BUG each other.  I hope its a stage....but I think it may be just boys being boys.   So we will enjoy the good times!!!  And continue to find ways to build and foster their unique relationships together.

Viva Coldplay....

In some ways concerts like Coldplay are even more 'magical' because of the crazy 'gerbal on the tread mill life' we lead these days.  What a fun evening to dance, snuggle with my guy,  be in the wonderful outdoor arena and enjoy some fabulous music.  I'm ready to be a Coldplay groupie...anyone care to join me??

My Favorite Things....

This morning I hosted some of my neighborhood friends for a 'Favorite Things' brunch.  I cooked my favorite brunchy foods, decorated with my favorite pretty things and enjoyed one of my absolute favorite things in life.....girlfriends!!!   It was a great morning of conversation, sunshine and lots of goodies to share!

Red, White and Blue ( or should I say Red, White & Bowel)

Our 4th of July weekend started off with a BANG....we called 911, had the firemen, the EMS & an admittance to the hospital for Max on July 2nd.   Charlie slept thru the whole thing...we still haven't told him he missed out on the firemen coming to his house.  Sweet Max was having trouble getting it all moved in the right direction.  One direction wouldn't move (bowel) and one direction wouldn't stop (tummy).  It was a long night for Mama & Max.  So many flooding memories which I'd rather forget of our July 4th hospital admission with Charlie at the similar age of 15 months in London.  Have to say the medical care was DRASTICALLY different and made me so happy to be residing in CA with Max's 4th of July hospital stay.    I distinctly remember in 2006 with Charlie, watching and hearing the London fireworks in Battersea outside the hospital window.  Feeling so so far from home, so so far from Lakeside, where I wanted to be.  An ER visit, where they are worried about every single bruise on Max's body (I guess he has alot), worried about this, worried about that xray....it all puts it so quickly in perspective.  There were a couple of moments where the mood felt too tense for me...what are they going to tell me???  All and all Max is just fine...just having some bowel issues and trouble keeping things moving in the right direction.  

Not a happy boy at all.....but quickly improved once some food got in the tummy and big brother came to play.
Max was discharged on the afternoon of July 3rd so we were still able to do our fun Menlo Park kids parade and neighborhood BBQ.  

Max saying his favorite word....SHOE!
So onto our Happy 4th of July!!! Such fun we had at the parade and bouncy castle dreamland that followed.  Our neighborhood picnic was great.   I highly suggest becoming friends with Italians.  They KNOW how to entertain, even how to entertain all the kiddos.    We'll hope for a more relaxing 4th of July next year....Lakeside 2010!!

Taylor U Girls Weekend....

We laugh

and cry

We hug

and tease

We share wrinkles

and lost baby pounds

We encourage

and confront

There is a commitment and loyalty 

over the 18 year span of our friendships

that leaves me feeling so blessed and loved.

What a weekend it was 

There is not much better than life long friends....

Won't we be a sassy bunch of 80 year olds someday?!  

Kristin did a fun post on the weekend as well....recipes included!!

It was a real day....

Life is pretty real around our house....ask anyone who visits...we show our true colors:) and Father's Day was no different.  I really wanted it to be different...for Jeff and for Charlie & Max. To have a magically wonderful family day celebrating Jeff and his sons.  And in many ways we did have a 'magically wonderful' family day.  It was just full of all those realities of parenting...of being a Dad.   Jeff was in the trenches on Father's Day as Charlie was in rare form, really struggling with his attitude and being gentle as a big brother.  And Max is showing his true colors as a toddler with an opinion.   Not so easy going that Max is we are finding.   We were TIRED at the end of the day.  Happy Father's Day...right?! 

It is a testament to Jeff that Charlie when sad, when disappointed, when excited...wants his Daddy.  When Max is most insistent on wanting something...a book, a cracker, his water....his words he uses is 'Dada!'.  They are both very much Daddy's boys.   I love to see that and to encourage that in life.  

Jeff & I are not perfect as parents.  We are probably not even perfectly suited as parents.  BUT we are a good team and we are good friends in the midst of the craziness of our boys growing up. And I do hope that our boys are growing in Jeff's image as I couldn't imagine anything better for them as grown men. Thank you Jeff for being so willing, so available, so happy to do all the little and big things needed to raise two boys.  Charlie, Max & I  love you very much! 

Nothing says 'Enjoy Each Moment' more....

Than seeing First Day of School photos....

And Last Day of School photos....

Lakeside Fun

Cousins Max & Cody

Cousins Jae, Zach & Charlie
Looking for an adventure...or trouble...whichever comes first.
Memorial Day Parade...lasted total of 5 minutes...Lakeside style.
Cute Lakeside boy!

Let's read a book, please....

Max is proving to be our little reader.  He has a real love for books already, even at 13 months..and not just for chewing on!  He finds the books, toddles to where we are and plops down in our lap for a read.  It's adorable.   And we love it.

Being FOUR is nothing to sneeze at....

Happy 4th Birthday Charlie!  

Amazing to see from the first year until now, 

the smile is still as adorable as ever.

And speaking of sneezes....on this day of turning four, Charlie learned the art of REALLY blowing his nose!!  Seems so trivial but in this family of revolving nose colds, its quite an accompishment.  Charlie is quite proud of himself and his Mom is very pleased as well.

April 21...2005,06,07,08, & 09!

This post is for the Grandmas.  

Four years plus one 'birth' day of photos.  

You find a good egg....

Then its time to sit down and take a load off.  

You can see in the background the egg hunt was still on.   Charlie had a total of THREE eggs in his basket.  And was pleased to sit, enjoy one of his three and watch the other kids scramble for more eggs.

We're getting ready...

Easter's a'comin....and we are EXCITED around here.

Four must be the magic age for anticipation.  

How many days, Mommy???  Every morning.  We are going on hunts around the house for all kinds of things.  This boy is going to be ready for that egg hunt this weekend.

Max clearly doesn't know what hit him.  What's with these crazy people??!!  You think this is bad...Just wait until this weekend, little man.

Strawberries!!!

This post is for the Grandparents....not to interesting otherwise:)

No, this is not the face of happiness to see my Mama.  Its my happy face for the strawberries in her hand....

A walk on the beach....

A match made in heaven...

There are those simple moments in life when everything makes sense.  For me, many times it has nothing to do with an earth shattering event.  I've had a few 'ah ha' moments that have had to do with... of all things.... my favorite flower....lilacs.  

Mom always had them in our house growing up as soon as they were in full blown.   Jeff, the first months of us dating, had them delivered to my college room in the dead of winter.  He called everywhere to find them.  Heading to Mackinaw Island when newly married specifically for the lilac festival....and best of all for me at this stage...a lilac bush literally out my bedroom window.  What a welcome to my California home two years ago...a lilac bush in bloom.  And what a refreshing boost last year with my struggling spirit as a mom of a newborn...my lovely lilac bush.  It has been such a wonderful surprise each spring.  and truly a match made in heaven...each time.

Just humor a sappy mom for a moment please....

I'm a very smell and sound oriented person.  Certain scents take me back to happy or sad times. Certain sounds or songs do the same.  This afternoon Charlie, Max and I sat down to watch a Baby Einstein dvd called World Animals that Max received for his birthday a couple of weeks ago. Charlie & I used to watch this daily when we lived in London.  Because it was a UK dvd we gave our Baby Einstein movies to friends before we moved and have never watched any together here in the US.  

Well.... I was immediately transported back to our London flat with the first sounds of this dvd. Max had very little interest in watching it, so Charlie sat on my lap, like the old days.   We snuggled and I was amazed at this huge almost 4 year old sitting on my lap.  It was quite the teary moment. 

If I could just bottle up those moments forever....

Don't pen me in....

This

has changed my life.

Not sure what took us so long to put up baby gates.  But we finally gated off the front room of our house.  We have some peace in our home that we haven't had in many weeks.  I can now give Charlie the space he needs from Max.   I can actually cook and do laundry without a baby on my hip.  And Max seems to like his alone time playing, 

safely away from his big brother's antics.

The change came none to soon as today Max took his first steps on his own.  Yea!!  

A little Irish, A LOT Ornery....

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Peek-a-boo to you!

Happy Birthday Sweet Max!

Paddington Bear

Reading books on Mama's lap

Playing with your hair while you drink your bottles

3 am cuddles with Mama

Pirate Booty

Hangin in the Ergo

Ear infections, antibiotics and tube surgery

Dada, Mama, uh oh...(sounds more like ho, ho...cute!)

Balls

Waving bye, bye and hello

My sweet second boy.  Wow, you stole my heart from the first moment, really from the first heartbeat.  Second time around a mom knows so much more...how much my heart will be taken, how hard each day and night will be...and how quickly each moment with a sweet baby flies by.   I truly have enjoyed most every 3am wake up call with you...let's keep them coming.  Happy Birthday Sweet Max! 

* I had this post set to 'post' at exactly 3:03am on 3/4/09- the exact time of Max's birth.  First time I realized perhaps there is some heart meaning to why Max always wakes up at 3am for a cuddle.  It was our first introduction time.  Smart lovable boy:)