my boy turned 5

5 years old!

my boy turned 5 at the beginning of the month.  where has the time gone?  when he was a baby - and he was my first -  i used to sit and watch him all day.  my husband would come home from work and ask how my day was/ what did i do?  my answer: "i sat and stared at our son."  watching him was the best reality tv show there was.  and it still is.

his personality is interesting.  i love seeing how he is growing, changing and finding himself.  his journey is starting out in this big world and he has a long road ahead.  i pray that his father and i are teaching him the right tools, giving him enough strength and offering the love he needs to grow into a good man.  

this boy has traits and characteristics from both my husband and i. i am a little biased, but i think he is quite handsome. :)  he is smart. he is sweet. he is sensitive. he loves his mama and is a good big brother to his little sister.  don't get me wrong, they fight and bicker like the best of them, but that is part of the game when you have siblings.  that is WHY you have siblings, right?  to learn how to deal with people.  he is learning to deal - every day.  

doing his homework. he loves to do homework.  fingers crossed that doesn't change. 

nico and his cousin playing their video games. notice he cannot tear his eyes away from the screen even to have a quick photo taken.

in our house, birthdays are special.  they are special because of who and what we are celebrating.  my goal as a mother is to make sure my kiddos know i love them and am here to support them.  i use their birthdays as a way to show them how grateful we are for the day that they were born.

my husband believes it's important to show each other how special they are every day of the year - not just one day.  my husband and i also feel strongly that it is easy for children  to get a warped sense of what a birthday party is all about.  too often these days it is about the presents and material possessions.   like when i was growing up, we have an every-other-year rule in our home.  we do not host a huge party each time one of us celebrates a birthday.   last year was my son's turn to have a party and he invited a handful of his friends over for an afternoon of fun and games.  this  year he did not have huge, over-the-top celebration.  

we took cupcakes to school for his classmates and made little goodie bags with some treats for them.  he got to wear a birthday crown at school and be the line-leader (hey, that's a big deal at preschool.)

uncle brian enjoying some homemade pizza  - YUMMY!

we also invited our immediate family over for a fun night of homemade pizza making and wii video games.  my son was in heaven.  he was surrounded by those who love him and he got to play his favorite video game.  what more could a 5 year old want -right?  this also gave the rest of our family a chance to have an evening together.  that is always a good thing.

make a wish!

nico, i wish you a very happy birthday.  i hope you enjoyed your day and know that everyone who was here to celebrate with us loves you very much.  i am proud of you and what an amazing young man you are turning into.  

happy birthday, son.  i love you!! xoxo

Cousins

cousins

we spent the day at my mother in law's house yesterday and it was so relaxing.  my niece and nephew don't live far from her and as soon as they got out of school they joined us.  the heat drove my people straight into the pool. i know they were thankful for a refreshing splash together.  i enjoyed watching them having fun with their cousins.  it got me thinking about my own cousins and our relationship.  as i watched my little people splash and play with their cousins in the pool, i thought about how grateful i am that they are going to know their cousins.  both my niece and nephew have been a part of my kids' lives since before they were even born.  my niece's birthday is one day before my daughter's birthday.  all the kids play so well together.  it's good, clean honest fun with genuine belly laughs.  i get a big smile on my face watching them. 

i love feet.  they are cute. and no one ever has the same exact pair. 

they giggle.  they tell jokes. they look out for each other. they help each other. they give hugs and kisses to each other.  they genuinely love each other and love being with each other.  that makes me so happy.

unfortunately my cousins and i lived in completely different states growing up.  with my father in the military we bounced from coast to coast.  we did not have the opportunity to grow up "with" our cousins.  i used to be envious of the kids who had these huge extended families.  they would roll their eyes when telling me about another family gathering with 20+ people there.  i used to want that.  thankfully, we are continuing to nurture the relationships with my cousins and get to know them as young adults.  we tease and beg them to move closer.  they are very special.  i know if we had lived closer to them growing up that we would have had a relationship much like my kids do with their cousins.  

helping her learn to hull-a-hoop

ice cream is a right of passage, for sure and a summertime must-have!

i look forward to the summer time when i know we'll get to see my niece and nephew more often.  have them over to swim or spend the night.  my kids really look forward to this too.  it's important for kiddos to know their family.  know who loves them.  and later in life, when things get tough my hope is that they turn to their family when they need strength.  all of that starts now, building those relationships when they are young.  

my niece, growing up so fast

my nephew, the ladies are going to love those eyes one day!

there is another reason for me being so emotional about this.  i am recently a "new" auntie.  our newest addition - my niece - is coming to cali tomorrow.  my youngest brother and his wife are moving back to the west coast with their brand new baby.  i could not be more excited!!  almost like a kid at christmas.  not only do i get to have my little brother and his amazing wife living closer but we also get to spend quality time with their new baby.  one more cousin for kiddos to play with.  to get to know.  to laugh with. to make memories with.  this is what it's all about for me.