Birthdays

We went to CT to celebrate Aleko's 3rd birthday this past weekend.. In fact we celebrated Owen's 2nd birthday on Friday. Liam asks every week who's birthday is next and what kind of cake will we have? It does feel like we celebrate one every weekend. The benefits of a big close family. It is quite comical.

I swear he was just three months

Hello Again

Ok so tonight I am going to try to sit down and write a post. Lately I try too hard to think about what to write because I feel as if there is a million things going on during one day that I become overwhelmed about what to say...so I say nothing. Wow that was a run on sentence...Anyways...is that a good excuse? Maybe not...but at night I have been enjoying reading other blogs that inspire me or I just plain enjoy reading that I have lapsed on my own.

Last night we went out to eat with my high school girls and their men. The girls were excited to have a night with their two 14 year old babysitters. After some tacos, a few really good margaritas and good conversation it made me think about how lucky I am to have such great girls. Friendships that have managed to only get stronger after 15 years.  The kind of bond that you can say whatever and know that nothing will change. 

Ava and I had a girls day after she was a rock star at the dentist. We went shopping and topped it off with Pinkberry. She seemed so old. We were chatting like two friends. Looking at shoes, debating on what to put on our frozen yogurts. On the drive home she said real sincerely that she loved me and had fun. Made me melt a little bit. It rejuvenated me. Gave me fuel to make better decisions the next day about how to handle situations. It was a moment that reminded me not to always be so hard on myself about every little parenting choice I make. They are amazing kids that are loved and sometimes that is just enough. 

Christmas 2010

Our Christmas tree was surrounded by plenty of toys and goodies that Santa delivered. Nothing beats the excitement of walking down the stairs Christmas. It's a feeling I will never forget and now I get to watch it through Sofia and Ava. What is even better is the time that we get to spend with our amazing

family. We are blessed! My house is still exploded with boxes and toys all over the place.

 

Dear Santa

There are so many moments when I want to stamp the memory in my brain. How they sounded, what they said, what they looked like and what they were wearing.  I remember one vivid memory of me holding Ava close when she was two months old. I was sitting on the edge of my bed in our first little condo. I snuggled her and told myself to remember the moment. I was not naive that moments leave as quick as they come. It is not negative it is reality. If we are not present once in a while life passes by.
Ava is really learning how to read. What a cool thing to witness. Her love for their Christmas Scout Elf and finding his new spot has sparked an interest in writing notes. Here are some recent notes for Rainbow and Santa. "Hi Santa what are you bringing me on Christmas?" "Ava for Santa, its is Ava who's on your naughty list Santa? Love Ava Wagner (I think she is worried!) "Dear Rainbow (our scout elf) What is Rudolph doing?"
Now Sofia constantly asks me how do you spell this or that. And there she goes writing her cicles and lines. Everything she needs to begin to write letters. It is is crazy how they grow, learn and do more everyday. This includes obnoxious things like, rolling of the eyes, talking like a baby, and being a know it all. In my moment of craziness which happens more frequently than I would like, through their screams and whining I hear laughter. I hear Sofia yell, ":Av look!" and she does something silly and full belly giggles I think, "We must be doing something right."

Halloween 2010

With the Fall season comes Halloween. Sofia's "favorite" due to the large amounts of candy. I mean any day that you get to walk up to any door and get a piece of candy is special right?! We did our usual tradition of pizza at our house with the cousins and family and ending with trick or treating around our neighborhood. Sofia thoroughly enjoyed a box of nerds throughout the whole walk. Ava was a scary witch a Sofia was a butterfly.

Can you feel it?

Can you feel the love between these two? Nothing is cuter than listening to their conversations, or the way Sofia packs bags and babies at the door to go to Liam's house. She even saves half of her juice box and makes me put it in the fridge for him.

We are so lucky that we live close and they can spend a lot of time together. We recently went to a farm and went apple picking. The biggest highlight was riding on the tractor.

Deep Breathes

It has been a rough month. The start of the school year has not been an easy transition for Ava. So we practice...all of us. Deep breathes before school, before bed, before we want to SCREAM, before we want to cry. New building, new teacher, and a new way of life. It's a long day and I know Ava feels a disconnect from school and home. The comfort of her old familiar svhool is not there anymore. So I toss and turn at night. Is she too young for her grade? Is the school just not a fit or will she figure it all out? So we try tricks to help get through the day. Pictures from home, notes, bracelets that we both wear. It is so hard to see your child sad.
I've come to realize I can't solve all Ava's hardships. So we push along and take slow deep breathes, hoping there is sunshine around the corner. Sofia feels it too of course. She knows her big sister is not herself. Today she asked me "Why do you leave Ava at school all alone?" She is acting out too. In fact her new thing is "good" mom or "bad" mom.
We will keep plugging and moving forward hoping things get easier soon for all of us!