photo bomb...because i can

yup...because i can and i'm the mama i am officially hijacking this post to shamelessly show pictures of my sweet boys

a glimpse into his future?

too too cute

he learned the "push them up your nose" bit from his mama

basketball!!!

i got this!

my turn!

playing glasses with briana

my sweet little

trying to climb the tree...oy

ready...set...GO

flying with my uncle Jason

trying to be like my cousin Kayle

i just can't get enough of this little boy

trying to look up at Kayle's hot air balloon - this resulted in him falling over

the closest thing we have to a family photo this season...

so there you have it...
the family that i love and adore with every ounce of my being

i could not be happier...and what was truly amazing was spending christmas with angela's family this year i actually felt like a part of the family...with jason and the kids there and angela's aunt referring to me as a "cousin by marriage" when Kayle asked how i was related...it all really fell in to place. it might have take 7.5 years (really has it been that long?!) but feeling like a part of the family for the first time in that 7.5 years was worth the wait...

hope you enjoyed the pictures of the two (well 3 including angela) best things that ever happened to me!

ah-boo!

so when the boys were first born their bubbie started this things called "ah-boo"
you say ah and on the boo you tap heads. well if you're caleb sometimes you knock head but you get the picture...
each time the boys see their bubbie they go through this game and for the longest time it was their way of saying "i love you" - it's really quite awesome
now occasionally they will do ah-boo completely spontaneously - caleb will even say "ah.......boooo" - it's really adorable
tonight, after bath while we were picking out pajamas and getting our night-night diapers on, caleb came up to me and totally out of no where did ah-boo! then jared came up and had to do it too...after a few seconds of alternating ah-boos between each boy it turned into one big family BOO! it was the most adorable toddler moment. all three of us had our heads together with the boys giggling and boo-ing
the best part is that bubbie and poppie are coming for brunch on sunday and i'm sure the boys will show off their ability to ah-boo all by themselves!

the times they are a changin'

tonight as a very tired very sad Jared was put in his crib I, his mama walked into the kitchen saying "i love you buddy - sleep well" - then about 30 seconds later his crying seemed much much louder...hmm.
upon further investigation i found that my sweet little man was standing at the door and not in the crib where i had last seen him. ah yes our sweet little jared has learned that he can climb out of his crib when he wants his mama...i went back in and held him, told him how much i loved him and that he had caleb to keep him company.
i put him back in his crib and walked back out. i hid outside the door and waited to see what would happen and low and behold small jared climbed back out. and he didn't just crash to the ground he landed lightly on his feet. he came running straight for the door. as soon as i picked him up he instantly stopped crying which led me to believe that this was primarily an attention seeking behavior...oh goody a BCBA for a mama...
jared was put in his sleep sack and still STILL managed to climb out. i let him whine and cry a little and after about 5 minutes i went back in and saw him about to start playing with toys - i picked him up and kissed him and placed him in his crib and that was the last i heard from jared...
oh sweet boy how i wish you would sleep soundly without crawling out of that crib

sweet dreams my sweet little boys

interesting turn of events

i got to my client's house this morning to find a sick kiddo - mom said he had a "bad cold" but she thought he was getting. he proceeded to start eating (well being spoon fed) his breakfast and like watching a train wreck i sat there and just waited because knowing this child as well as i do i knew he was minutes away from throwing up every bite of cookie he had eaten.
needless to say i got to go home about 30 minutes after the session started.
i got to sit at the table and eat breakfast with my boys. i got to read morning stories and watch as my children requested that i read something "again" and as they each chose what they wanted for breakfast. i got huge hugs and giggles when i got home...for once i was getting home while they were in their morning jammies not late at night when they were putting their jammies on to go back to bed.
now i'm sitting at my kitchen table working, drinking my coffee and watching my sweet boys playing with their mommy in the other room.
in the wake of national tragedy i am so lucky to have this morning to just be with my family

candles lit

each night we light our candles...we light them for the joy they bring in to our homes - to see our children marvel at the miracle that is the light...Channukah is not about presents and not entirely about the oil or burning for eight days. the true meaning of Channukah has its roots in a time when the Maccabees stood up for themselves and their people and fought back. they took it upon themselves to uphold their rights, their beliefs and the lives of them and those they loved.

tonight, with the boys in bed and mommy having a mommy's night out, i sat at our kitchen table and lit our candles - each candle in honor and remembrance of all those whose lives have ended prematurely...not only those we lost today in the tragic shooting in Connecticut - but all those who are gone. 

tonight, i light for them

 

Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe;
Light one candle for those who are suffering
A pain they learned so long ago;
Light one candle for all we believe in,
That anger not tear us apart;
And light one candle to bring us together
With peace as the song in our heart!

- light one candle

 

as a child this was my favorite Channukah song. honestly i think it still is. i don't think it was originally meant as a channukah song but i may be wrong. no child should know the fear that those surviving this horrible day now know.

give thanks

so the new thing apparently is to post on facebook for the month of November (possibly till Christmas or till thanksgiving I’m not quite sure) every day the post is about “what I’m thankful for” – people post a thing a day that they are thankful for. while I think this is incredibly important because it “forces” people to think about everything they’re thankful for I find it slightly amusing that people find the need to share this with others as a badge of honor…regardless of how silly I think that tradition might be I find it pertinent to the time of year to share the brief, cliff notes version of what we’re thankful for here in our family.

this year for thanksgiving we shared the meal with family. present at the meal were myself, angela and the boys, my sister, her husband and their little girl, my parents, my grandmother and the incredible part…my in-laws. N & J were supposed to have thanksgiving on Tuesday with angela’s aunt and uncle from GA…for medical reasons that family chose to stay home and N & J chose to stay home…they also asked angela if they could come to my parent’s house for dinner.the most incredibly thing about this request is that angela's parents have never been to my parent's home. i take that back...her mom (N) has been to my parent's house for the baby shower many moons ago. angela's dad however has refused multiple invitations because coming to the house would make "things" a bit too real. 

i was impressed that my mom graciously opened her home to N & J simply because of the animosity between our two families. my mom (as do it) want nothing more than for at least N to recognize my standing in this family...regardless of the timeline until we get to that point i know that there is work being done to get us there. 

dinner was miraculous. dinner went without a hitch and J was so much more mature than could have been expected. in situations that make her uncomfortable, angela can come across as snobbish...it's primarily a coping mechanism but people don't always view it that way. angela's dad is much the same in new and uncomfortable situations. however - during dinner J engaged in conversation with my brother-in-law as well as others at the table. he talked briefly with my mom about the yarn shop and hung out with my niece. the boys were a hit and made everyone smile...all in all it was an incredible evening. one that i will remember for a long, long time. the poise that everyone showed was amazing and so completely appreciated by this whole family. 

the actual love and care that was present that night was everything that i am thankful for this winter.

i am thankful for my mom opening her home to people that she does not see eye to eye with simply because she knows it's important to me and angela

i am thankful for my brother-in-law who can talk to anyone

i am thankful for the family present at dinner who all embraced my in-laws 

i am thankful that my in-laws came in with open minds and respected my parents and their home and the meal they were invited to

i am thankful for my wife and best friend who loves me unconditionally regardless of anything else in this world

and i am thankful for the two sweet angels sleeping in the next room whose smiles light my life every single day.

so while i may not be posting to facebook about the 22 some odd things i'm thankful for i hope my family knows how truly thankful i am for them

my buddy

just me and my buddy...hangin out