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.