Party Day!

Never a Dull moment --- I couldn't pass up the pun

Our wonderful family of four --- Max couldn't wait to help with the gifts

Daddy and Will show off the birthday pretzel

Happy Birthday to Will -- Max was more than willing to help with the candle too

 Today our fiends and family gathered to help us celebrate one year of Will.  It was wonderful!  There are so many people that love our little man.  We had a great dinner before we sang to Will.  Max was all excited that he was able to help Will blow out the candle.  I think he was a bit worried that Will might try to blow it out himself, so Max beat him to the bunch and blew the candle out before the song was even over.  It was pretty funny.  Will got the smile of the caterpillar for his cake and he loved it.  In fact he loved it so much that he needed a quick dip in the tub before he was ready to rejoin he party.

I love cake!

Not too sure about the cake yet

The Corso crew to finish things out

All in all a fabulous day with our wonderful family.  I know I say this all the time, but how did I get so lucky!?

Okay, on a side note, one thing I'm not so lucky with is Blogger's new picture upload system.  I'm having major issues with it and I just can't get things to lay out the way I like ---- very frustrating!

Happy Birthday Will!

Will loves his new toy, hopefully Max will let Will use it!

I guess I really need to stop calling him Baby Will - he is a big one year old as of 9:22 this morning. 

We had a great day together.  He loved his Cozy Coupe as soon as he saw it this morning.  He had fun riding as well as pushing the car all around the house today.

Max and I made a special cake for Will's big day --- funfetti of course.  Max was very proud of his creation.  Tonight we had a nice dinner as a family and then sang to Will and dug into the cake.  We have Will's party next weekend, so today was pretty low key. 

I find it so hard to believe that my baby is already one and leaving babyhood behind.  As I reflect on our first year as a family of four I realize just how much I have learned. . .

• In some ways number two is easier - I feel like I know what I'm doing, at least some of the time
• Babies are resilient
• Constipation is no fun for a newborn, or anyone really

  

  Our little Red Rocket all dressed for soccer
  

• Having a Carter's so close is dangerous
• Nursing was easier the second go around, at least for the first six months
• Onsies are fabulous for summer --- why did I always think Max needed pants on top of them? 
•  Laundry is a never ending process
• Bathing two kids together is tough
• Max is an amazing big brother
• The Ergo baby carrier is a must have for every mom of two
• Arm N Hammer scented bags are sooooo much better than a smelly diaper pail
• A vomiting baby is really scary
• Recovering from a c-section is tougher the second go around - I'm not sure if it was the stairs or the three year old

• 

  Two of my favorite boys
  

  Nursing was tougher this go around after six months -- Will always wanted to know what Max was up to.
• Yo Baby yogurts are the best
• Aden and Anais make fabulous blankets
• Not all babies are snugglers, but I have to say that when Will does want some snuggles it is even more special
• Costco diapers are the best -- but Sam's wipes are better
•  Grocery shopping with two kids is tough
• Two drop offs in the morning are rough
• So are two pick ups in the afternoon
• A bigger house means more places for babies to hide
• We have a tons of outlets within Will's reach
• No matter how hard I try to keep my floors clean, Will can always find something yucky to stick in his mouth
• Brian is a fabulous daddy
• Marriage takes work -- sometimes it is tough to remember that
•  Boys are fun, but their clothes still aren't nearly as cute as girls
• Using Max's old clothes isn't working out as well as I would have hoped

  

  Max was happy to help with the candle
  

• Being a working with two kids is soooo much tougher than working with just one
• Big boy toys are always more appealing than the age appropriate stuff mommy offers
•  Babies learn things quickly -- I really can't turn my back
• I'm still the luckiest girl alive
• A great big brother more than makes up for not being the only child

Yummy Cake

Clap if you love birthdays!

Will has brought so much  joy and laughter to our home.  He is usually very serious, but boy when you get him going there is no stopping that infectious smile and laugh.  Brian and I knew we wanted to grow our family but before Will joined us I didn't know how I could ever love another little one as much as I love Max. 


As soon as Will joined our world that thought was gone.  As soon as I saw those amazing lashes and that cute little dimple I knew he was meant to join our family.   I can't imagine a day going by without my littlest man in it.   We are so incredibly lucky and I count my blessing every day!

Soccer Star

Well he may not be a star yet, but he had fun! Soccer was scheduled to begin last Saturday, but mother nature had other plans. Max's coach, Ms. Heather, rescheduled for last night. Max was so excited when I picked him up from school and told him we had to hurry to practice. When we arrived however, Max wasn't quite as excited. He was pretty overwhelmed at first so Daddy headed out on the field with him.

Max warmed up really quickly and within five minutes daddy was able to leave him with the team and join me on the sidelines. The kids worked on dribbling between cones and stopping the ball. He needs some work on making small kicks. Every time he kicked the ball he gave it everything he had. It was adorable to watch.

The league goes up to seven, so I'm sure Max won't be the strongest player, but I was so proud of him for joining in and giving it a try. He really seemed to enjoy himself. Hopefully his game on Saturday will go as well.

The Bean Plant

Are these boys not the cutest? And yes, Max's pants are ridiculously short in this picture. He spilled water on his pants at school this morning so he came home in his emergency pants - which happen to be from last winter.

Yesterday Max brought a bean plant home from school. The kids are currently studying spring, so growing beans fit pretty well. He was so excited to show me his little bean plant in his Dixie cup when I picked him up yesterday. After dinner tonight we were able to plant the bean seedling and Max was so excited!










I turned around to set Will down on his blanket and this is what I found when I turned back to Max. He had pulled his poor little bean plant right out of his cup. I asked what he was doing and his reply "It's okay mommy, my bean plant has roots!"

Max made a hole among his zinnia's so and gently put his little seedling into the whole. I had to help him cover it up, but he was so proud of himself. After the bean plant was safely in the ground, Max found another friend to play with, a caterpillar. I love how observant Max is of nature and the things around him. I stepped right over this little guy on the driveway while Max spotted him in an instant. He was so excited to have the caterpillar crawl on his shirt and he was so sweet when he gently put it on the grass because "Caterpillar's like grass Mommy".

Typical Weekend

Even when our weekends feel like we did nothing special, they are still incredibly special at the same time. Just the time we get to spend together is special, even if the highlight of our day included staying in jammies until noon and making a trek to Costco, it time well spent. This was pretty much the extent of our Saturday - well that, and the six loads of laundry I did. The boys snuggled with Daddy int he chair. I just love pictures of my boys laughing - the only thing better is hearing them laugh out loud.

Today we did have one fun event, we helped to celebrate James' first birthday. He and Will are 'birthday buddies' born exactly one week apart. Will got all fancied up in his one pair of jeans in order to help James celebrate. Max was just glad there was a playground.







I had to throw in this second picture of Will because I just can't get enough of his beautiful eyes and amazing lashes. I know I may be biased, but he is just gorgeous! He is just looking so grown up!

Now it is just time to sit back and relax before gearing up for the work week. We are in for some pretty wicked storms tonight, so I'm sure Brian and I will have a guest while we try to sleep tonight. We REALLY do need to spring for a king size bed before Will develops a fear of storms too.

Happy Easter!

We started our day out with mass at St. Ambrose. After mass we headed to Berra Park for the egg hunt. We were a little early, but that's okay, Max and Will enjoyed hanging out at the park. As it got closer to 11am Max took his place at the tape for the younger kid egg hunt area. He was so excited.

They fired the gun and it began. My plan was to send Max on his own to pick up eggs, but all these parents started pushing. There are CRAZY moms out there!!! There were mothers picking up eggs at a crazy competitive rate and putting then in their kids' baskets. One lady had gotten like 20 eggs before Max had even reached one. I think we need to find a new hunt to attend next year. Nostalgia aside - it was not fun and there were way to many crazy people.

The second egg hunt of the day was MUCH more enjoyable - better company,more beautiful setting. The Easter Bunny visited Aunt Carm and Uncle Mike's yard as we ate. Max had so much fun filling his basket in the back yard. Once his basket was full he was more than happy to help Jacob fill his. It was adorable.



Will had a great time as well. He didn't care too much about the eggs, but he loved chasing the tennis ball around the grass. I love his face in this picture - he looks like his is daring anyone to try to take his ball away.

All in all, another great holiday. I do have to admit that I'm exhausted and I'm so glad that Brian will be back tonight.

Easter Preperations

Happy Holy Saturday! What a busy day we have had. Daddy is out of town for Aunt Stacey's wedding, so Aunt Anna has come over to lend a hand. This morning we spent some time outside potting Max's tomato plants and watering his zinnia seeds. I have to say that I'm a little surprised they are growing as well as they are. Max counted the sprouts yesterday and was all excited to find 26 baby plants growing.



Baby Will hung out with Aunt Anna - she felt very cool wearing the Ergo. Will was happy as long as they stayed in the shade.







Max got all excited when he found a new little friend. He watch a cute little caterpillar climb all the way across the driveway, up the retaining wall, and through the grass. He was mesmerized.



Tonight we worked on dying eggs. Max was way too excited to stay still and smile for a picture but he had a great time.

Tomorrow we head to St. Ambrose and then to Berra Park for the Easter Egg hunt. I went to this hunt every year as a kid and I can't wait to see Max enjoy it. Then we get to celebrate the holiday with a great dinner with family. The only thing that could make it better was if Daddy was here to celebrate with us.

Party Day

This weekend was one of those times when it hits me that I really am a mom. Funny how after four years of motherhood this fact can still sneak up on me every once in a while.

We had a birthday party for Max a the Museum of Transportation. The party included 90 minutes in the Creation Station, which is a fabulous place for kiddos under five. There are all sorts of transportation theme activities for the kids to enjoy - and enjoy they did! We invited several kids from Max's class at school and it was just so funny to see him interact with this classmates. The train table was a huge hit - lots of special pieces and even an elevator for the trains.






Once the kids had played for a while it was time for a snack. They had cute little party hats for the kids to put on while they enjoyed their snack.




As everyone finished up their pretzels and juice it was time to sing to the birthday boy. Max couldn't wait to blow out his candles. I think he realized that the quicker he blew them out the quicker he could eat his cupcake.






Nonna and Nonno were able to join us, it was a HUGE help to have someone to keep and eye on Will and he was all excited to have a little extra attention.

The highlight of the party was the train ride at the end. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the ride was the perfect end to the party. The engineer even had everyone on the train sing Happy Birthday to Max. He was proud the tell the engineer that he was four and even though he played a little shy he just loved it.

What a wonderful celebration for our little man!

Mulch Man

What could possibly be more exciting at 7:45 on a Saturday morning than a 'real life' dump truck delivering mulch? I guess not much beats that when you are four. Max was enthralled as the mulch man dumped the huge pile right on our driveway. Mommy and Daddy weren't quite as excited when they spread that mulch today. Will just wanted to go back inside and finish his pancakes. It was early - hence the PJ's.