Facelift

Trying to make my blog all fancy yall. The computer isn't really working with me right now, so please be patient while I figure this out :)

What's in a Blog?

Just some thoughts in my head over the last few days concerning this blog (and others like it)

I started this blog to document our days as a family welcoming our new addition, baby B. I initially had the intent of writing about all things baby including his milestones and overall cuteness and to document J's journey as a preschooler. For those who have "followed" me or know me IRL, you know that when J was born, I had a baby site that I updated daily. That was about four, almost five years ago and blogs weren't as widespread and weren't free. But I did a good job at it. It allowed me to share our special moments and pictures with my family and friends far and wide. At the end of two years and tons of updates, I retired the babysite. Before I did that, I managed to print out all the updates and the growth chart that kept track of J for those 24 some odd months. I have saved those posts in PDF form and also have them printed out. I think that's better than any baby book, though the pages are now secured in his book. Anyhow, before I digress too far, I want these pages to be cherished by B just as much. I know it's not a babysite, per se, but it's still about our journey with him. So at the end of the run of this blog, when I feel it is appropriate, I will retire this blog as well and print out the contents for him to have as he grows up. I am hopeful that the mirror it provides for him will be one of great memories and love. So while it's not a chronicle only about B or his milestones, it will be all about him. Does that make sense? At the same time, I am hopeful that J will find these words just as fitting for him as we discuss the growth and development of his life as an awesome little boy.

So what's in this blog? I hope a lot...a lot of love, a lot of life and lot of laughter...for B, for J, for Big J, for my mom, my brother and myself. It's all those things and so much more.

Words from my heart...

Fill-In-The-Blanks Friday

1. My favorite place I've ever traveled to is Athens, Greece. I had an amazing time there with Amina visiting with Sarah and her hubby Mike. The site, the sounds, the FOOD and the people were all amazing. Not to mention the night life...and beach life when we toured the island of Mykonos. And the historical significance wasn't too bad either, a wonderful trip of a lifetime!

2. Egypt is somewhere I'd love to go someday. I want it to be safe first though...but I'd love to see the great pyramids in person one day.


3. I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by reading or playing on my iPad. Between that and caring for the boys, the time goes by pretty quickly.

4. My three must-haves when I travel are my phone, my ipad and my boys.

5. My favorite travel companion is well, more than one...I love traveling with J and B and making sure they are exposed and see different places and cultures (even though they are probably too young right now to remember it all)

6. The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling was hmmmm, I have no idea...A few missed flights here and there, crazy lines at customs, random celebrity sitings. Nothing that excitingly crazy.

7. The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling was probably something in Greece. Though I love shrimp, when they brought out the platter of shrimp with their full faces and eyeballs on, I had to do a double take. But hey, it was tasty!

8. If I could live anywhere else, I'd in New Orleans, love the food and the culture!

9. I have been to probably around 20 states in the U.S. I need to count one day.

The Circle of Life

Today I am reminded about how fragile life is and how sometimes it just doesn't make any sense. I have talked before about loosing my father almost two years ago and some days I still can't come to grips with that. Then yesterday, one of my best friends suddenly lost her dad too. Just like that, life is changed for her forever and it will never be the same. My heart aches for her, but more than that, it aches for her two young daughters. Some days, the hardest part of loosing my dad is that J misses his Pawpaw and that B will never know him. That rips my heart out. And then I just know that my dad would love nothing more than to sit in his recliner and talk to B for hours on end. Yep, B would be spoiled by him beyond measure. But alas, he was cheated of that opportunity and it sucks. I know all the "PC" things that my dad is here with us, he's watching over us and all that, but it's not the same and it doesn't make me feel better. Just like for my friend...there's no words that can ease what she's going through and nothing that makes it okay. I know that all too well. So that can leave you asking what's the point of it all. And really, all we can do is live the best that we can and love each other to the fullest. My dad and her dad were among the best men around. I was blessed to have my dad and blessed to have her dad in my life as well. I just wish we had more time...especially more time for our children to know and cherish these men as much as we do!

Here's the article about her dad

And a quick google search of my dad only gives you a glimpse of the great man he was. (SN: he is the "Jr." my brother is the other great man in some of the articles)

Man, my heart is sick right now :(

The Balance of it All

Some days I struggle to find balance in everything. Especially now that I am back at work, I find it increasingly more and more interesting to walk the line between doing it all and realizing that I can't do it all. Last night as I was cooking dinner with one hand, had B in tow in the other arm, picked up a towel off the floor with my foot and got J dinner from the microwave with my teeth (yall didn't know I was that talented, right), I just had to stop and laugh at myself. Overachiever at heart I guess. So I had to take a moment, assess the situation and talk to myself. Self, you can't do all this at once and continue to be fully present (my resolution yall). So I quit...I took dinner from the oven and moved it to the refrigerator. I grabbed a snack for myself since J was more than happy with his noodles and sandwich (his nightly request for dinner) and I SAT DOWN...Though only for ten minutes, I took a break. Then of course, the madness that is our bath and bedtime ritual ensued, but still I took a break to breathe and collect myself. And that breather was good for me and for the boys. I don't want to be the mom who rushes through the day checking items off the list just to get done and move on to the next thing. I find myself hurrying J along to move faster, do things quicker and in his own way, he's just trying to go through the process and he should have the freedom to do that. I shouldn't have to make him move faster or encourage B to drink his bottle quicker so I can move on to the next thing. I just need to take a deep breath, even if that means I start dinner tonight with half cooked food from yesterday...it'll still be good when we get to it!

So we enjoyed the rest of our night. Bath time with the boys is one of my favorite times. J shares the tub with B and I put B's baby tub across the big tub. So while J is in the big tub, B is in his baby tub that spans the with of the tub (I'll have to post a pic one day so yall understand what I am saying). Anyhow, it works. It gives the brothers time to bond and enjoy some quiet time together and it let's me get them both in and out at once. I know I said B loves his baths, but yall, he LOVES his baths. He kicks and slides all around the tub and it's just funny. It reminds me of when J was little except that J was a kicking machine. Once he learned that he could splash, J would have water EVERYWHERE...he even managed to get my hair wet. B hasn't gotten to that point yet, thank goodness.

Today was spring and class pic day for J. I hope he smiles big time. We have so many pics of the kid...what do I need with more? I can't resist! And even B has more pics that a normal person would in a lifetime. Memories...

Well, I think that's it for today. Taking a deep breath and tackling the rest of the day!

We Love Kurlylicious

Hop on over to my friend's blog to check out some pics from her trip to our area.

We had a great time visiting with her and hope she comes back REALLY soon, for good (LOL).

The boys make their blog appearance on her blog

HERE

Click the link and enjoy :)

For the Kids?

Hello all. We hope you had a great weekend...it's back to reality for us and we are on the grind...Monday=Fun Day...YEAH RIGHT!

Anyhow, our weekend was great, filled with family time. It's a rare occurrence that big J has both Saturday and Sunday off, so we all hung out.

Saturday, we went to the Gasparilla children's parade. It's the area's version of Mardi Gras so to speak, though we know that it doesn't even come close. Anyhow, the boys had a good time. J got some great throws and even caught a football from one of the floats. He was more excited about his corn dog and cotton candy though. B took in all the action before falling asleep in his favorite place, the baby Bjorn (thank God for that thing).

One thing that struck me about the parade though I will never understand. As J was trying to get a closer look at the floats and the action, several "adults" were telling him to go to the back since they had been there since 9am to reserve a spot at the parade. Um, really, excuse me!!!??!?!? So when did I miss the memo that a child can't stand in an open spot on the grass at a parade as an observer? WTH? In an effort to keep the peace, we walked away and moved several times since those who came and decided to get boozed up all day before the "kids'" fun were too blitz to realize the stupidity in their actions. I am thankful that my sons know the value in people and the value in fun. J doesn't let much bother him at all and I am thankful for that. So despite that foolishness, we had a good outing. Those folks were just lucky that things remained civil. After a warning from law enforcement in their direction, it was amazing how things calmed down...

Yesterday was another day to lament the Saints loss as I know they would have made it to the super bowl...oh well, next year boys...

We've got a couple of things shaking on the horizon that I hope to blog about in the very near future. Just keep your fingers crossed for us as we continue to make moves and navigate the world of parenthood.

Now that my qui is balanced and I am back in my zen mood (thanks Christina), let me get back to work...Chat with you guys later. Feel free to leave me a comment to let me know you're out there in cyberspace :)