A birthday on the square

I'm terrible at planning birthday parties or fun activities. For anyone: my husband, my friends, my parents, myself, and most importantly my kids :( I'm kind of a procrastinating, scatter-brained, social-a-phobe and the thought of arranging a get together with more than one or two people stresses me out... Just laying it out there! So Anders' birthday was approaching and we still had no plans... Then "Aunt" Jen and I decided it had been too long since we had seen each other and decided to get together for a small little birthday at Marietta Square. Thankfully, Daddy was free and "Uncle" Kevin tagged along and we all had a pleasant time enjoying our gelato and watching the boys play at the "choo choo park" (which just happens to be Casen's "favoritest favorite park" EVAR!) A good time was had by all. Love you guys!

One Year Down!

August 2 was Anders' birthday. Somehow a year has managed to pass us by. I truly don't know how this happened. Anders was that little baby that rocked my world. Obviously we expected that life change with Casen who changed my life by giving my the forever title of "Mom", but the change that occurred in me when Anders was born was quite unexpected. I just assumed that we were adding another number to our family. Rounding it out. Making our family more "legit", so I was surprised when he drastically changed my life by his entrance to this world. My pregnancy was "easy", my labor and birth experience just as much so, but man he turned my life upside down on August 2, 2012. I remember looking at him late one night in the hospital and thinking, "Oh my gosh, this is real life. I am now a mother of TWO." I kept repeating it to myself, as if I hadn't had 9 months to get it to sink in. Of course it didn't, as big things in my life rarely do. (Darn you, Depersonalization.) Even then I still wasn't aware of how much weight that carried. 

Since bringing Anders home from the hospital, I have been humbled in so many ways. Casen was a very easy baby in regards to how much attention he needed, but Anders was another story. He was completely dependent on me for comfort, since I was (and still am?!?!) strictly nursing and we co-slept, so he grew to be very mommy-centric. It was like being a new mom all over again. We had to use all new tactics and strategies with this one. (So funny how that works.)

All this to say, Anders has made me realize what is most important to me, and that is my children and my family. His arrival has caused me to look deeper behind what I truly want deep down for me and my family. He helped push me to learn how to follow through and make changes that I know need to be made. He kinda put the stamp on my future in the sense that he helped me realize, "Hey, this IS real life." My life. My babies, my boys, my responsibility, my passion, my joy, my everything. So with the birth of Anders not only did we welcome his new life, but mine as well. For that I will forever have a special place in my heart for him and these lessons I have learned since he joined our family.

Happy belated birthday baby boy. <3 

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always.

As long as I'm living, 

my baby you'll be.

Belated Beach Trip: Part 2

This was Anders' first time swimming in the ocean. He was with us when we came down for Christmas last year (part 1. part 2.), but this was the first time he got to really experience the waves and the sand between his toes. He LOVED it. I mean LOVED it. It was the cutest thing seeing him play in the water. Talk about pure joy. Casen, of course, had a blast, as usual. He doesn't stop moving, ever. He dug holes with Mimi, flew the kite, swam for hours, and spent a lot of time in his float. We all had a great time. I was lucky to get to read a chapter of my book between keeping up with the two of them. 

Belated Beach Trip: Part 1

So I lied. Here we are a month later, and I'm finally posting pics from the beach. We are so fortunate to have gotten the chance to go down to Seagrove this summer. We weren't expecting to be able to, but we made it happen, although, Fico wasn't able to join. My grandparents live down on the panhandle of Florida, and we have had the privilege of calling their home our home away from home for the majority of my life. It is something I look forward to year round, being able to go and stay in that house. There is something about returning to a specific place time and time again that makes the experience that much more special each time you go. Something about using the same shower and the same beach access and the same golf cart and the same toys in the attic. Eating on the same dishes and sitting in the same chairs. It all just feels so comforting. There aren't many places I feel that way. Not even my own home. I guess what I'm trying to say is I am so grateful to be able to visit the beach at least a couple times a year and that I have been able to have that constant in my life. That forever safe-place. We have had so many memories down there and it is something that I hope we are able to continue for years to come as we and our children grow older.