Summer FUN!

Instead of starting my post off apologetic, I'm going to say that I've come to the realization that right now, posting every quarter - rather than every week or even month - is just what works for me.  Perhaps I will post one season at a time.  But hey, you never know, I may throw a curve ball and post a random pic here and there in between seasons :)  This post is about all the fun we had this summer...  and what a fun, whirlwind this summer really was!

Personally, I think a good kick off to the summer (even though it's not officially summer until June 20th) is Memorial Day.  We spent this Memorial Day going to the parade in our town.  Our nephew Wyatt is part of the town marching band and this was an opportunity to see him do his thang.  Then we headed over to the church for the annual ward BBQ.  

  Milo is not a huge fan of loud noise so he spent a lot of the parade with his hands over his ears.

At the ward BBQ, there is usually a water-gun fight.  Milo had never played with water-guns and did not partake at the BBQ, but when we got home...  Cesar introduced him to the fun.

I think he got the hang of it :)

Of course, I always try to find an opportunity to dress my boys in matching ensembles. 

For Mother's Day, I spoke to my sisters-in-law about taking our moms to the city...  They both love going in whenever they can, and they especially like any opportunity to go to China Town.  I'm not gonna lie, I like going in, too!  Unfortunately, Pamela couldn't join us.

We drove in...  Rode the subway to Canal Street...  Ate some lunch in China Town...  Grabbed some cannolis at the Cake Boss Cafe... And took a harbor cruise around the lower end of the island. 

Father's Day came, and we celebrated this guy...

WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!  He is the best dad EVER.  Our boys are so blessed to have him as a father.  I am so grateful that I get to witness just how wonderful he is to them.  He will do (and does do) anything he can to make them happy.  They will always know that he loves them; they will never doubt it.

A couple of weeks after Father's Day we were on our way to Iowa.  Yep, we drove 17+ hours to the great state of Iowa to see my grandma!  It was a LONG drive but the babies and Milo did phenomenally well.  We drove through the night so that most of our time on the road was while they were sleeping.  It was a great idea.  The visit was nice.  She now lives in a VERY small town (there is not even a Target or Walmart nearby).  It's quiet and there's not a lot going on, but the total change of pace was great...  And it was so nice to see family that I haven't seen in years.  It was so cool to see my Uncle Bob interact with Milo.  He is so great with kids...  It was like I was watching my grandpa play with my kids.  It gave me such a wonderful feeling.  We didn't do much, but it was perfect.  I don't know when we'll get out there again, but I'm happy that we were able to make it happen this year. 

 Small town living at it's best...  There were cornfields EVERYWHERE you turned.  Cesar found it so interesting for these kids to be hanging out in the back of a pick-up truck that he had to go ask for a pic.

Cesar took advantage of a photo-opp when we came across an abandoned house.  Just as we were about to leave, though, the Sheriff showed up because he was "just checking to make sure everything was ok, " and that we "didn't need anything."  Ummm, ok, what are we gonna do to an abandoned house?

 Milo was Nana's little buddy :)

 So happy we could get these adorable pics of my grandma and our boys!

4 Generations!

We filled some of our time this summer at the pool.  Max enjoyed lounging in his little floatie and Logan preferred walking the perimeter of the kiddie pool.  Milo was fearful this year, and he never wanted to use his floaties.  So, he, too, spent his time in the kiddie pool.

The babies were introduced to Jell-o jigglers.

We spent a Saturday afternoon at Wild West City.  The big boys (Wyatt, Yeshua & Milo) really enjoyed themselves.

The babies turned 9 months old.  This first year is just zooming by!  As I compose this post, their 1st birthday is in less than 2 weeks!  They are such good little babies.  We are truly blessed.  I have said it many times...  I think Heavenly Father knew that if he gave me babies that didn't sleep and just cry all the time, I would be a terrible mommy and I'd probably run away!  At their check-up Logan weighed in at 21 lbs, and Max at 18...  They're so different!  Logan has a mouth full of teeth (8!), likes to drink water and LOVES to stand up.   He isn't too far off from walking....  Wish I could delay that one.  Max is just a little smarty pants.  He is trying to talk.  He tries to repeat things sometimes and its so adorable.  He is our little vacuum, picking up everything from the floor and putting it in his mouth  : /

THEN, our Milo turned 4 years old!!!  Oh my goodness, how the time has flown!  This boy is the light of our lives.  He is so funny...  I have started to note when he says something cute.  

*When we were just getting on the road to Iowa (and when I say, "just getting" I mean we hadn't even made it out of Panther Valley yet!), Milo asks from the back, "Are we there yet?"  In the van, on the way to Ocean City (I'll be sharing that trip in minute here) it was pouring rain.  Milo says in a very sing-songy voice, "look at the beautiful sky!"  His cousins were fighting while we were on vacation and Milo says loudly and sternly, "No fighting on my competation (his word for vacation)!"  I'm glad I get to be the one who actually hears them because when I try to share the funny things he says, I can never deliver them properly.  At his well check-up, Milo weighed in at 33 pounds and 36.5 inches tall.  He, obviously, is not a big guy.  He was so excited for his birthday.  I love how he is grasping the concept of things now and gets excited about things and understands situations better.  He is a cool kid, and I'm so happy he calls me mommy!

 We had his party at Clown Around - an indoor gymnasium.  He, and all of his guests, had a blast!

The evening of his actual birthday (we had his party the Saturday before) his abuela, Titi Romy & cousin Juliana came over to eat some cake and help him say bye-bye to his binky (yes, yes...  4 years is a long time to be on a binky, but in my defense, he had only used it at bedtime since he was 2 1/2).  Well, the balloons I got [the day before] had lost a lot of their float and weren't strong enough to take the binky anywhere.  So he was allowed ONE LAST NIGHT with his binky.  The next day, Daddy picked up more balloons and after work we headed to the park to bid them farewell.  We let him suck on one of them for 10 long seconds before we counted down and sent them floating (I know, I know, not exactly environmentally friendly!).  We had been prepping him for this for about a month and a half prior, so he was excited to do this.  He had so much fun....  but then it was bedtime.  And that was a little rough.  Here we are, though, a few weeks later and he's doing just great!  The first few days we would catch him sucking on one of his brothers' binkies, but he's doing very well now.

One week later, we were off to Ocean City, MD for a much needed vacation!  This trip was only 4 hours each way...  cake, compared to 17!  The first day it was just me and my 3 babes, my mom and my mother-in-law.  Romina came with Juliana the next afternoon (Tuesday).  Cesar, his sister Pamela and her boys didn't come until early, early Friday morning.  At first, I didn't even want to take the kids to the beach.  I have a love-hate relationship with the beach.  I love the breeze and just sitting there watching people, but I HATE the sand!  I hate that it gets in places and you track it everywhere.  I hate that babies like to eat it, lol.  BUT when I was shown just how to entertain the babies at the beach then all was well....  I'd still rather just wait to take them again until they're 3 or 4, HAHA!  Logan loved having his little feet in the water and Max loved just sitting on a chair and playing with a bucket of water.  Milo loved running through the water and chasing it around.  He was still fearful, so I never had to worry too much about him running INTO the water.  On one of the last days, though, we were in the pool and Milo had on his floaties.  He was only in there for a couple of minutes when he told Cesar to let him go.  That was it, there was no turning back.  Our Milo had decided he was going to do it on his own and he told us to let him go.  For a split second, I was a little choked up.  My baby told me to let him go.  That's what we have to do as parents...  Eventually, we have to simply let them go.  Anyway, enough of the sapp, next year Milo can swim his little heart out!

 My beach bums

 Cesar found this great little amusement park.  There were a few rides and some go-karts.  Milo was even allowed to drive one on his own.  He LOVED it, to say the least!

There was also a rock climbing wall.

 Well, now we've pulled out the backpack and headed off to Pre-K...

... and put on the soccer cleats for our first season of soccer!

Which means?  Summer is OVER!  It was great while it lasted!

Happy Day :)

the BOYS!

Milo is so silly! 

 These guys love to play on the floor.

So, so handsome!

Recent Happenings

Hmm, where to begin...  Now that the weather has finally warmed up, and its feeling more Spring-like, we are able to get out and enjoy the fresh air.  Cesar took a Friday off in April and took his mom, nephews and Milo into the city to the Museum of Natural History.  Cesar loves this museum in particular and while Yeshua and Milo didn't exactly love it, too, they still managed to have a great time.  We learned that Milo really loves going to "New York City!" (always said with great enthusiasm). 

 Hammin' it up for the camera

 Cesar, if he could, would take 10 minutes at each and every exhibit.

March and April were a tough couple of months.  My mom was in and out of the hospital 3 times because of issues with her feet.  Long story short, she has a disease called Raynauds.  Basically, it's a vascular disease that cuts off circulation to the extremities (fingers and toes).  For her, it has affected her toes.  She has had to have many surgeries over the years and most recently had to have more... So sad :(  Because she watches my little babes so that I can go to work 3 days a week, I was unable to work for a good 6 weeks...  at least in the office.  I am able to do some work from home, but it is preferred that I go in (which I prefer, too, as I can't get anything done until late at night when kids are all in bed).  My employers have been incredibly understanding and patient throughout the whole ordeal, of which I am most grateful.  Anyhow, because of my staying home, I've had more time to take my kiddos on walks and play with them (well, mostly Milo, of course) at the playground.  It's been nice enough for Milo to go play outside and ride his bike on our little street, too.  He loves to be outside!

 My stroller is freakin' awesome!!!  Milo enjoys riding in the Captain's chair and lead the way.  I love that I can take them all in one stroller, so amazing!  It gets pretty rough up the hills, but hey, it's a good workout.  Sometimes after our walk, depending on how tired I am or what time it is, we try to go to the playground so Milo can play a bit. 

 When we arrive this is usually what the babes are doing...

 ... While Milo gets right down to business.

 We have some cool rocks out behind our house that Milo has recently discovered and now loves to climb on. 

A few weeks after Cesar went into the city, I went in.  Milo was SO excited!  It was a beautiful day and we found a lovely little park to play at.   They have scooters and tricycles there that kids can ride around on.  Some folks might find this gross, but I'm cool with it - I carry around hand sanitizer!

 Milo had a blast!

 The babies enjoyed swinging for the first time!! 

 Grandma was there, too!

I *heart* NY!



6 Month Check-up!

Oh my goodness, we're half way there!!!  I may have mentioned it before, but my good friends, Mel and Jen (both mothers of twins), told me that the first year would be the toughest.  They did not say it became easy... there would always be challenges when having twins in one way or another...  but that it would get easIER!  Well, we have reached the halfway point (well, actually, I'm late in posting this and we reached it a month ago)!!  If you had asked me a few months ago if the time with them as infants seemed to flash before my eyes, I would have told you no.  In fact, there were times when it seemed like time had stood still.  Those first few months WERE ROUGH!  Now, they are a blur to me.  I cannot believe my babies are 7 months old!!!  I am trying harder to enjoy them at this age.  I don't want to have any regrets or feelings that I missed out on anything because I was wishing away the first year of their lives.  I have decided I'm going to take each day at a time and laugh, hug, kiss and play with them more.  

 LOGAN - The Loganator, Logster, Logi-log...  Oh how we love you!!  You love to stare at us with your BIG BROWN eyes.  You're so observant of what's going on around you.  You love to smile, but you make us work for it.  Your smile is no longer gummy; there are 2 teeth that have made their way through.   You are sitting up and rocking back and forth on your knees...  Perhaps you will crawl soon?  You are content to just sit and play with a toy or jump around in your Baby Eintstein jumper - You LOVE TO JUMP!!! 

At 6 months, you weigh 17lbs and are 27 3/4 in. long - Dr. Chi says you will grow to be 6 feet tall!

*Milo, at 6 months old, weighed 16lbs 8oz and was 27 1/4 in. long - So, that makes Logan our biggest baby so far!

 MAX - Maximus, Maxi-boy (I know, so girlie and so wrong, but it's just cute)...  I think we should just call you smiles!  You are our smiley, smiley boy!  All we have to do is look at you and you smile so big!  You are a busy boy.  You love to explore and get your hands on anything and everything you see.  You are sitting up and rocking back and forth on your knees, too, but you're never in one spot for more than 2 seconds before you're on your way to whatever has caught your eye.  You are a mover and a shaker, and you DON'T like to sit still. 

At 6 months, you weigh 14lbs 13oz and are 27 1/2 in. long - Logan's got you by a good 2lbs and 1/4 in. but your head is 1/2 cm BIGGER than his, lol!!  Dr. Chi says you are tall and skinny :)

Oh, these faces!!! 

How did we ever get lucky enough to be blessed with such good baby boys?!

Our Milo

We sure love our Milo! He has so much personality and boy do we think he's so smart!! I love to engage in conversations with him lately as he always says the cutest things!

I recently had a conversation with my good friend Melanie and we talked about how grown up her boys are getting... We talked about her oldest, he's 9 1/2. She mentioned how he no longer let's her hold his hand or walk him to the bus stop or let her give him kisses. I immediately went inside after speaking with her and kissed my Milo like crazy and told him to never stop letting me give him kisses because I'm his mommy!! To which he replied, "Yep, you are; and you're my best friend!" I love this boy like crazy!

One morning after handing me his nice and full pull-up so that he could change into undies, I said, "Thanks Milo, you're the best!" He replied, "Yep, I AM the best mommy!" I hope that he always feels that way about himself and never doubts just how wonderful he is.

Wanting his daddy to come and sit by him as he played a game on one of our phones he says, "Daddy come here." Cesar says, "Hang on just a minute buddy." to which Milo replies, "Awe, come on Dad, seriously??!!"

He LOVES his brothers and I am so happy about that. He really is a great kid. Of course, he IS 3 1/2 years old and still has his moments... but even Cesar and I can't help but laugh at those moments because one day (hopefully) those moments will be gone! I love how he pouts when he gets mad about something... he stomps his little foot and crosses his arms really tight and walks away while saying, "I'm really, really sad!" When he thinks we're angry with him he tries to make us smile by laughing in a silly way at us until we crack and he'll say, "Why are you "madding" at me?"

He loves us something fierce and that is the greatest gift of ALL!! He considers us his "best pals" and I want it to stay that way!! I love being this kid's mommy!