Goodbye to May

Well today is the last day of May, and we have really had a lot of fun this month. Between Mothers Day, our 6 year wedding anniversary, a trip to the Sacramento Zoo, a Memorial Day barbecue, an outing to a Ports game (thanks Ben and Katie!!) and our trip yesterday to Great America, we have hardly had a minute to relax and catch our breaths! May is probably one of my most favorite months because the weather is so nice and summer is just around the corner. It's a month where I start looking forward to things, and for those who know me best know I love looking forward to things. Emma's birthday is next month, which is always exciting, and then July Josh gets the whole month off which means I get a lot of help around the house and with the kids. Okay so I guess that makes July my favorite month. Well here are some pictures from some of the activities mentioned above. Good bye May, thanks for all the fun times!!

Emma dancing

Emma loves to dance, she is very entertaining. I record Oprah and the other day she had on Simon Cowell and people who had auditioned for some of his shows. Emma and Jacob both really enjoyed one performance and Emma danced to it several times that day. When Josh got home that night Emma asked me to put it on so she could dance for him. I really wish I had recorded her doing it earlier, because she was mimicking the dancers and doing a pretty good job. Jacob got into it as well and was dancing and going in circles. Well at least I thought to record their dancing later on, so here it is. Enjoy :)

Mother's Day barbecue

I really love Mother's day. Not just because of the flowers, the cute cards, the yummy meals, and all the awesome handmade things from the kids (thanks to their daycare and Emma's church class for most of that), but because it reminds me of how lucky I am to be a mom. It's the only thing I ever wanted to do. I have to give it to Josh though, because he has never let me down on Mother's Day. He's made it a special day every year, starting with my first Mother's Day when I was 7 months pregnant with Emma. From start to finish he makes it all about me. Okay, except for a few hours when the Giants are on. Luckily we record that and he fast forwards when the other team is up so it doesn't take all that much time away. And of course he says throughout, "I can turn this off if you want" with sad puppy dog eyes. But after starting the day with breakfast in bed I'm in a great mood and so of course I say "No babe, it's fine" Yesterday we stuck with what we normally do, and had a barbecue after church for our moms. Josh did all the cooking, with just a little help on the salad , and the rest of us hung out outside and watch the kids play. It does not escape me how last year I had a 2 month old baby and now here is he walking , almost running around and can go up and down the slide on his own, and get around on a bike (not with pedals yet of course) and keep up with Emma for the most part. I know that these years will continue to fly by, so I want to take every moment I can to just take a mental picture of how they are now. I also took real pictures and some video which helps as well.




















Thank you my sweet children for making me a mother!

So my 20's are over....

Okay so another decade has come to an end. reflecting back over the last 10 years makes me so grateful . So many wonderful things happened in my 20's. Just to name a few:

1. Graduated college at 21
2. Got engaged to my high school sweetheart at 23
3. Got married at 24
4. Bought our first house at 24
5. Had our first child, our beautiful daughter Emma, at 26
6. Had our 2nd child, our sweet little happy boy Jacob, at 28
7. Bought our 2nd house that has room for us to expand in, at 29.

I have learned a lot in the last decade as well. I hope that I have done a lot of maturing, Josh may say otherwise. Here are some of the things that I think are the most important lessons that I have learned.

1. Children are a true gift from God. No matter how they come to us, by birth, adoption, fostering, marriage, it doesn't matter. God sends us the children that are in our lives.

2. There is no greater gift you can give your child than your time. My children may like toys, movies and candy, but they are the happiest when they are with Josh and me. It's so important for us to never forget why we decided to have children in the first place, and that it goes by very quickly and we will never get that time back.

3. True friends are very rare. In high school you may have 20 close friends, but you learn as you get older that there are only a few who will be there for you no matter what. I can count mine on one hand. You may talk to these friends everyday, or you may only be able to catch up once in awhile, but when it matter most, when you are in need, they will be your side to make things easier.

4. Patience really is a virtue. It makes us better people, better mothers, better spouses, etc... I am always working on this one. I have a hot Italian temper that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. I have really tried hard to better myself when it comes to this, especially as a mother. My children have tested that patience big time. I am not perfect, but I am getting better.


Everyone has told me that their 30's were better than their 20's. If this is true, then I am truly excited for the next 10 years.

Happiest moments, not the most attractive perhaps, but the happiest :)

Jacob and Emma's Love/Hate relationship

I know my children love each other, but they don't always show it. Okay so mostly Emma doesn't show it. I cant blame her, I know her baby brother gets into her stuff, breaks her crayons, sometimes eats her crayons, and takes a lot of lap time away from her. She can't hold him anymore because he struggles and gets away. This was the main reason she liked him in the beginning, because she could hold him and he couldn't leave. She's been asking for a baby sister for awhile now, maybe thinking a girl would work out better. It's escalated since one of her church friends just got a new baby sister and she got to hold her. She wants a baby "just like Gracie" she said to me this morning. I've told her she needs to treat the baby she has better if she wants another one. Not that she is mean to him, but she has very short patience for him, but then again she's only 3 1/2. She must have been listening to me because tonight when Jacob decided he wanted only hugs from his sister and chased her around the house, which Emma usually doesn't enjoy, she gave in. They did nothing but hug and cuddle for about 5 minutes. She even let me take pictures of it, which is another thing she doesn't enjoy. There is nothing that makes me happier, than seeing my children love each other. If she keeps this up, we may give her a baby sister after all.

Jacob's 1st Birthday!

My baby turned one on March 13th, and we had a little party for him the next day on Saturday. It is so ridiculous how fast time goes. I was so excited when Emma turned one, but this time I was a little sad. I wanted my baby to stay a baby a little longer. Anyways we had a fun day, and Jacob really enjoyed his cake!!



He also enjoyed opening presents. Well...okay so really he just enjoyed the wrapping paper, but he did enjoy the presents later on that day.


Emma's already asking us about her birthday. She has told us what she wants and that she wants a pink cake. She's excited to be turning 4 because she knows that she will start preschool and go to Disneyland. I think this is all we will be hearing about until June 22nd!

New to blogging

Okay so I've been meaning to do this for awhile now, but I am a procrastinator. Since i cant think of anything to write right now, and Jacob is about to get up from a nap, I will just add pictures of my adorable children.

Jacob at Christmas

Emma after her first dance recital in December