Family Vacation

We took a family vacation in July. It started out by leaving RI and arriving in NYC for the night. The kids were in awe of the bright lights and all the different people. They loved the toys stores and the candy stores... of course. Then in the next day we did a stroll through Central Park where they were able to play at a playground/sprinkler park. They just loved that. After a morning of running around we decided it was off to PA to check into our hotel. They kids went in the pool and just relaxed to get ready for the next days adventure.
On Wednesday morning we got up bright and early and headed to Sesame Place. It was a world that Eric loved. He got to see all the characters that he knew. And meet the real Big Bird... much bigger than the stinky one that he sleeps with now. It was such a joy to see the kids faces as they got to ride rollercoasters and go down water slides and be KIDS.
I had been to Sesame Place when I was Emily's age and I remember it was so much fun. It was a bit sureal to see my child doing the same things that I did at the same age.
For Eric it was not only about the characters, but it was a place where he too could ride all the rides. A parent had to go with him, but he didnt know the difference, he liked having us there to share in the fun with. Emily got to be the big kid and do some water slides that Eric didnt want to go on. She is just a fun loving kid that is up for anything.
On the way home from PA we stopped in NJ for a side trip to Advendure Aquarium. There were a lot of touch pools and HUGE tanks to look in. Eric was a big surprised at the size of the waterlife. It was a great time and a bit educational... even if the kids didnt know that they were learning. They saw sharks, hippos, stingrays, and millions of fish.
I think that the best part of the trip was not the rides, the fish, the bright lights, or the parks. The best part was making family memories. These are memories that the kids will remember. If they dont remember them in their heads memory, I know they will remember them in their hearts memory. I want them to grow up and remember the feeling they had of a "Family Vacation" and know that it was a great time. Even if they dont remember riding the rollercoaster 500 times. It was a memory that they can carry in their hearts and know that we had fun times together wtih love.

Eric loves his women

Eric has always loved women of all nationalities. The first woman that he was in aww with was a daycare worker, Yesenia. She was from the Dominican Republic and was as dark as can be. He was just an infant and he would watch her all day. When he could crawl, he would crawl right to her. He would just listen to her talk with her accent all day. Then he moved up to the next classroom and he met his Spanish teacher, Maria. Again he would always be around her. He would talk about "Ria" all the time. When either Maria or Yesenia would call his name or talk to him.. he would light up. Well, then it was on to the big kid daycare. His first friend (we call her his girlfriend) was Lily. She is a beautiful girl, older than him by 2 years, from China. He would tell me all the time that he loves Lily and he kisses her. She felt the same away, because everytime I saw her she would ask if Eric could come over for a playdate. She would take care of him when he was new. They are very cute together.
Well, today Eric was at school and says to the teacher "yeah, Hun", after being asked a question. You can guess it... she is Spanish (I think, but she might be a light skinned black lady). He just loves Ms. Milagros.
It is so funny that he is colorblind to all his ladies. I love it! I was not exposed to different nationalities until I was much older, simply because there werent any variations in NH. I think it is great that he can befriend all different people and really not see them any different than he is. He is so cute that he always gravitates to these ladies. Too cute

New Babies

I just love new babies. I love the way they feel, look, and sometimes even smell. I love the way that they are trying to figure you out just as much as you are trying to figure them out. I love watching them grow and learn each new milestone. They really are amazing creatures. It has been said the infant brain grows and learn more in the first year than it does at any other time in its whole life. I totally believe that to be true. From learning how to breath to talk, to walk, it is all just amazing.
I also love the way my family has grown with each new child. They all bring so much to the family. They change the family in so many ways. But, I can also say that I love that my family is complete. I knew that I wanted more than 1 child, and yet I never knew just how many more. Well, my husband decided that number to be 2 kids.
As I held my friends new baby girl tonight I thought... was I meant to have only 2 kids? I just love babies so much, was I really meant to have only 2 kids? Then I came home to my 2 kids.. 3 and 6 years old.. not babies anymore. As I tuck them in for the night and give them their kisses, I realize that I have the right family. I dont know how another baby would fit into this mix. And I wont ever know (and if we do find out then Dans doctor has some serious explaining to do). But I am ok with that. I love babies, but I am also in love with the 2 kids I have and the joy they bring me. It is great to be done with the baby phase and on to the kid years. I love seeing their faces when they try to figure out this world we live in and where they fit. I just know that they fit right here in my arms, even if they overflow my arms and dont fit in the crook of my elbow any more. As much as I love babies, I am so happy with the 2 kids I have now.

Night time giggles

I just love those times at night before bed, during "quiet time", that the kids get all giggly. The day has ended and there is nothing left to do, or at least nothing that cant wait, and you get to sit and enjoy family time. These are the moments that my kids may not remember in their exact memory, but they will always have it in their hearts memory.
Eric woke up very happy and in a great mood this morning. He has kept that happy attitude all day. And tonight during "quiet time" Eric, Dan, and I had a great laugh. (Emily was in her room watching HSM 3 and only come out to give me hugs and kisses at times). I was watching Eric "beat" up Dan. He was laughing and giving it his all... Dan of course played along. Just watching these boys play had me in stitches. Eric was everything from a monster, to a boxer, to a sneaky stealth attacker. It always makes me smile when I see my men bond... even if it is over fighting. It is something that I cant quite explain with out you seeing it. But it always leaves me with a smile and a warm feeling of love duing the night time giggle.

A boy and his dog

The other night Eric didnt want to sleep in his own bed, so I let him sleep in mine. Well, in went Eric, in went myself, and next in went Lucy (our little dog). I am not a fan of children or dogs in my bed, but it is what it is. As I was falling asleep I was watching Eric fall asleep. He was lying down with his arm wrapped around Lucy and petting her. He just seemed so calm and at ease. It was just a calming, loving kind of moment for him... and Lucy too. He really looked like a hallmark card. Just a boy and his dog....

I am big fan of having animals in the house when you have kids. It teaches them so much about respect for animals and for other things that have feelings. Like you cant hit people or pets with a bat, because it will hurt them (just another lesson Eric learned at the misfortune of our big dog). It teaches them responsiblity. And it is another way to show them unconditional love. Because even though our dogs have been put through the a lot of "misfortunes" due to these kids... both dogs love the kids completely and unconditionally. And it is moments like the other night, watching my boy with his dog that make all the headaches of having a dog worth it.

Anniversary

On Saturday I decided to surprise Dan with a trip up to South Boston for our anniversary. I know Southie doesnt sound like a romantic place to go for your anniversary, however it has always been "our place". When I met Dan I was living in NH and had only seen him 3 times before leaving for Europe for the summer. When I can back from abroad, I moved to Southie. This is when our relationship really began to blossom. He was still living in Providence, RI and we would get together 1-2 times a week. It was often during these times together we would take walks around Southie. The place that we always went was a beautiful area called Castle Island. It is a one mile loop that goes out and around the bay. We would go there and walk around, talk, and just be together.
So, I thought what a great place to go back to after 5 years of marriage. He did not know where we were going so he was pleasantly surprised when we ended up at Castle Island on a beautiful 75 degree day. I am sure it was not what he had expected, but he also understood why we were there. I still believe that Castle Island is where our relationship truly began.
I remember walking around and sitting out on the bay, under the stars with him. His arm around me, watching the stars reflect off the water. There was no place I had rather had been. We would talk about all the years to come and all our hopes and dreams. It seemed like a place where we could be honest and talk about anything. The topics usually led to marriage and kids and our future together. I can still remember talking about my dreams of growing old together.
So, here we are 9 years later, 5 years of marriage later... many ups and downs along the way. But there we are, walking around Castle Island again. All the conversations we had 9 years ago.. had come true. We had gotten married, had kids, and are growing old together (31 is not old, but we met when i was 22, so it is growing old). It was almost a surreal moment, sitting down, watching the waves, with his arms around me again. Still the same people, but yet completely different too. Even though there were times when I didnt think we would ever make it to this point and we have changed so much from those 2 people... I am still so happy that all those conversations came true. It just showed to me that hard work in a relationship, a relationship that has dreams and hopes, and a lot of love... can really be all you ever wanted.
I know that we dont have a fairy tale relationship, but I will take US over any fairy tale anyday.

Our Laughter

I believe it has been since I was born, but it has been atleast as far back as I can remember, my mother and I have always been able to laugh together. It always seems to be jokes that nobody else understands and nobody else ever laughs at. The jokes are never inside jokes, they are just ones that nobody else wants to join in on. I have always loved our all out belly-aching, cant breath, tears in out eyes jokes. The jokes are usually about topics that "normal" people would find to be unamusing and usually repulsive. However, it is our humor that we share in our own way. It is a bond that we have that has always been there. When times between us have been hard or distant, it is usually our "jokes" that will bring us back together.
I write about this because since Emily has been born we have had that same bond over jokes. They are never knock-knock jokes or the "a monkey, a sheep, and a man walk into a bar...." kind of jokes. It is the little songs we sing, the way we can twist something sad or disturbing into something that we can laugh about, or just look at something and start to laugh. There doesn't even need to be words spoken, sometimes we can just laugh and know what the other one is laughing about. I can feel and see the same bond with Emily that my mother must have always felt with me.
I truly believe that laughter can be the best medicine. I take care of many patients dying of many aliments and you can tell that they never feel as good on medication as they feel when they have a good belly laugh. I am just so happy that I have this bond with not only my mother but also with my daughter. I can tell that our laughter will lead to many years of great memories about nothing at all... except laughing about something... whatever that may be.