Happy 8th Birthday to Mia!

This little cutie completed our family.....and I just can't believe it was 8 years ago that she arrived!  She has such a big personality and her saving grace is that she keeps us laughing.....because she also keeps us on our toes!  This year she's taken up dance and acting/singing.....sometimes it's hard for me to believe we are related but oh, how I love watching her do these things that I could never do!  She is full of sass but has a soft and kind side too.  Every year around her birthday I giggle a little as she plans each detail of her birthday party because that was SO me when I was a kid.....what am I talking about....it's still how I am!!  She has a love/hate relationship with sports (and her brother), a love/love relationship with gardening, animals, school and friends.  Mia is the whole package....love her to pieces and feel grateful daily that I get to be here mom!

 She got her ears pierced on her birthday and as expected, did great.  She looked older instantaneously :(

 She had (not so subtly) told me that she's sure like one of those special birthday hats as part of the birthday hoopla.....little did I know she would wear it all morning.  Dollar store find well spent.

Happy 10th to Jake

OH, this boy who made me a mom.....he is beyond amazing.  As Jake turns 10, I can see tidbits of what he will be like as he grows up.....and I can still see glimmers of him as a little one.....it really is a great age.  He has the kindest soul and melts my heart at least once a day. Still loves to snuggle, still tells me he loves me, he asks how MY day was when I pick him up from school....I'm a lucky mama.  He still loves sports......he tolerates his sister and loves recess, math and history in school.  I wish I would remember every detail but I know I won't.....some days as a mom are still long but as they say, the years are short.  I try to remind myself regularly of this fact and enjoy the little things.....especially when they are still young enough to want to hang out with the ol' parents!!

Brian and I started a new tradition this year for the kids.....when they turn 10, they can pick a short vacation with just Mom and Dad, wherever they want to go!  Jake chose Spring Training (Mia will change her mind 100x over the next 2 years but as of right now, she's planning on Antarctica to see penguins).  The trip to Arizona for Jake was the stuff dreams are made of.....he loved every second and so did we!  We saw a Giant's game and an A's game, he got balls signed by the players, we had great weather, and just hung out and truly enjoyed this special time with our now 10 year old (where, oh where does the time go?!).  Jake got an extra special bonus at the A's game....he was asked to be the bat boy!!  Watching him in the dugout, highfiving and fist bumping the players....it was the coolest! Not sure who enjoyed it more....Jake or us!  They even gave him a bat at the end of the game as a birthday gift.  They also offered him unlimited Double Bubble and Gatorade when he was in the dugout......needless to say, he was in heaven.  On our flight home, Buster Posey was on our flight - it was the trip that just kept giving!  We hope the trip will give Jake memories for a lifetime!

Mother's Day

After spending an evening recently looking through old blog posts, I realized how many things get forgotten and how thankful I am to have written so much down.....at least when the kids were younger!  I'm going to make a better effort to blog more often so that the kids and I can go back and have our memories refreshed as the years go by!

Today was a great Mother's Day.  Since Brian is traveling for work, Jake and Mia were "in charge" and did an awesome job.  I woke up to their sweet voices wishing me a happy day, and then swiftly scurrying off to their iPads ;)  I'm thankful for those devices sometimes.....this morning, it was because of those pesky screens that I was able to sleep in!  Jake made me coffee and Mia made banana pancakes from her recipe book....both were so proud.  Julie and I took Mom out to a nice adult-only brunch at Nonni's while Ally stayed home with Jake and Mia.  Then, I took the kids to get their hair cut.....since it was Mother's Day, they agreed and didn't complain!  Mia even convinced me to do a temporary streak of color in her hair when we got home.  They both looked adorable.   Year after year, I have this silly thought that since it's MY day, the kids will be perfect every minute.....of course, they weren't.....and I've realized that it really doesn't matter.  I am so genuinely grateful for the special time that I get to spend with them.  Do I wish that they were ALWAYS kind to each other and to me....of course.  But who am I kidding.....we're all human.  Jake melted my heart, as usual.....he insisted on buying lunch for me and Mia with his own money.  He treated us to a lovely lunch to the tune of $7.11 at McD's.....he was beaming and couldn't wait to tell Daddy.  I enjoyed those 4 chicken nuggets and small fries more than you can imagine, with his smiling face next to me.  The kids granted my request of a "screen free" day and we sat outside in the sun, rode our bikes, went for a quick trip to the park, and then out to Chinese food for dinner.  Afterwards, Jake, Mia and Ally went to the grocery store with me where it took every ounce of patience I had to let Jake push the cart, which he so desperately wanted to do for me.  Of course, it took twice as long and I thought for sure the stacked bottles of salad dressing he bumped ever so gently were going to end up all over the floor.  But again, I was reminded how lucky I am to have these sweet kids driving me crazy and making my heart burst with joy all at the same time.  As Mia would say, my bucket is full.  And P.S., the cards/letters they gave me this year are quite possibly the most adorable things I've ever read.

Riviera Maya 2016

Lucky us....we got to celebrate Mom's birthday with the whole bunch in Riviera Maya.  We enjoyed every minute of the sun, sand, food, and FAMILY!  The biggest THANK YOU to Mom and Peter for everything....it was awesome!  Beyond thankful for the vacation and the memories made!

Birthday dinner for our NINE year old....how did that happen!!!

 Dolphins!  Such cool creatures.  

We ALL loved the wave machine.....SO fun!!

Mia collects seashells WHEREVER she can :) 

Grammy in her happy place!

Daddy teaching Mia the tricks to going FAST!  She is ready with her nose plugged....bracing for impact!

These two.....

Slammo.....this game gets around.

These smiles.....they're contagious.

Jake and his fan club....they had the BEST time playing together the whole trip!

Brian learned how to climb palm trees many moons ago in Fiji....he's still got it.

My peeps.

 Love them to bits.

Ah, Connor...and his utensil obsession.  Moments after sitting down at EACH meal, he would collect as many as he could get his little hands on!  This kid cracks me up!!

Grammie and Gramps with the birthday boy....what a lucky kid!

If there is a hammock, Brian will find it ;)

For Jake, vacation = unlimited sugary drinks.  He cashes in BIG time.....it's a rude awakening when we come back to the real world.

Yup, most of my favorite people on the planet are in this pic!

Ty, rockin' the pirate hat that Mia made him....he wore it all day and onto the plane.  Love him.