Visiting the Childrens Museum

Noah and Mommy went to the Childrens Museum last weekend with our friends Keri and Bryce, to see the Curious George exhibit.

Noah had so much fun exploring the place and spending time with Bryce.

We had a chance to play with George, and also go to the Carrousel, and also explore the digger and the tchu-tchu trains.

We had lunch with Keri and Bryce and headed home after spending 2 hours of fun.

Needless to say, Noah fell asleep before we got out of the parking lot, and took a good 2-hour nap when he got home, giving mommy time to get everything ready to have uncle Carlos, uncle Ron and great-grandma over for dinner. When we got home daddy had cleaned the whole first floor of the house! Noah, I guess we need to go out more, filho, just the two of us!!! :-)

Noah - 27 months - Do I need to say anything?!?

Oliver - 6 and 7 months!

Oliver, Oliver…amor da minha vida.
You are so full of peace and joy...that is how I describe you, our little piece of heaven.
You have learned, though, to get mad at your brother when he bothers you, takes a toy away from you, or is all over you (you don’t like touchy people, I take it!).
You learned to sit-up right around Thanksgiving break, and sure enough started pulling up by Christmas break!!!
You love your mommy and look for daddy when you hear his voice.
You try to get to things by shaking your whole body (to see if your little but will go anywhere).
You love your Exersaucer, but mommy’s lap is so much better! J
You love your teachers at daycare, and your face lights up when they talk to you.
You started eating meats this past week, and you like it much better than plain veggies…now, your favorite thing is fruit!!! That is what you like!
You like crackers and wagon wheels, have tried bagels and little fruit stars...and you love them all!
I love you so much it hurts.
Somehow I did not know what peace was until you came into my life, filho.
When I am rocking you, when I smell your little neck, when I kiss your bald head, when you are napping in my arms…that is what peace feels like!

Holidays 2007/2008 - Recap...Wow! Finally!!!

Yeah, yeah, after taking a whole month without writing, and another couple of weeks fooling the blog by going in and just putting a sentence in there to save the date…here I am, back again!
I also thought I owed this to my great friend Lori, who has been asking me to post so that she can hear about "the boys"! Lori, thanks for keeping me honest!!!

Now really, I have to tell you: WOW! What a month! So much has happened during this month, it will take me all day to tell you. And again, you might be asking, so why in the world didn’t you post more times when things happen?!?! I know, I know, I know all that! Just like I know all the techniques from all the different books and programs around losing weight…that does not mean that I do it, does it?!?! Well, the important thing is that I am back. I won’t even promise to write more often this time, because some of you are going to say: Yeah, yeah, yeah, not happening! So all I am going to say is that I am going to keep trying! J

Let’s see, where do I start? The grandparents! They arrived on Dec 14th! As soon as they got out of that airplane, our holidays started! So much fun it was! Lots of chocolate, chocolate milk, diet coke, lots of hugs, kisses, late nights, lots of laughs and looooots of love!

Snow! Yes! Noah got to play with snow for the first time!!! He enjoyed it a lot. To be honest with you I don’t enjoy much, and I think it is too much work just to get outside and play for a bit…but hey, everything for my little boys, right?!? What I really enjoyed was going to BabiesRUs at 11 at night to get him a snow suit with my mom…that is the part I enjoyed! J

During this time Oliver turned 6 months, and then is just turning 7 months (you will see a post just for him) and Noah turned 27 months (he will also get a post), Oliver got his first really bad cold, and had a hard time breathing at night, which caused us to take lots of naps together (I am afraid those were the last times he slept on my shoulders…he wants nothing to do with that position anymore! L)
On the positive note, Oliver is eating his jar foods and loving every bite of them! I have to tell you though. The whole strategy around starting with the veggies so that he did not get hooked on the sweets...did not work! He looooooves his fruits!!! I don't blame you Oliver! Who in this world can say they love pureed green beans?!? You are all me, filho. You can look like your dad as much as you want...but you are me!!!

Noah also started soccer practice! Yes, friends, and who thought it was going to take another couple of years? He loves it! He is really good at it already, and kicks the ball like a pro. He only needs to practice (a bit, just a bit of) active listening!!! Don't we all, though?!?! We love it too, specially the afterwards nap that comes with it!!!

We had a Christmas party at out house on Christmas Eve, and our friends Cris, Bruce and Nicholas came to join us while we waited for Santa to arrive. Noah was very disappointed that the old man came, ate a piece of grandma’s fruit cake, drank milk, left the presents and did not even bother going to the basement where we all were to say hi to him! But I have to tell you though, that all that disappointment went away really fast, as soon as we started opening the presents!!!
Noah was so excited with all the presents! If you saw him you would swear the kid was on a sugar high! We had a blast this year with him, and how much awareness he had of the whole thing! How different from last year!!! And of course, the kid is 2 years old, and what does he get for Christmas? An MP3 player, a digital camera, a walk-in kitchen, tools, a truck, and a helicopter. Based on the standards we are setting here, next year we are going for a Wii and a motorcycle!
Baby Oliver just chills...that is what best describes him...chilling and playing happy with whatever his brother lets him play with. He also got some cool toys from Santa, but he really loves the Exersaucer that used to be his brother's.

Noah got to build a gingerbread house with grandma on Christmas morning, and got some good quality time with her. These two have this great connection that no one really can explain. Since he was born, Noah and grandma have a bonding that I have to say I believe comes from many other lives...not something easy to explain, but awesome to see. I couldn't be happier to see how much they love each other!

We spent New Years at Cris and Bruce’s house, and Noah got to play with his friend Nicholas a lot that evening. He went to bed at 11:00 exhausted, but had a great time! Grandma and Grandpa have left, and we miss them immensely. They spoiled us all rotten. If I tell you that I would come back from work, and dinner was ready for me, and then the kids would stay at Fabi's house with them, and Marcio and I would come home and sleep in until 8:00 the other day...would you tell me that defines spoiled?!?
Mae e pai, if you guys are reading this, I don't think we will ever be able to thank you enough for all that you have done for us this year. Thanks for being there for us, for all the laughs and tears, for all the support and the example you guys set everyday. I just hope that we can teach Noah and Oliver all that we have learned from you about morale, respect for one another, faith, and family! If I have forgotten anything, pictures will tell!!!

Love you! I am so glad to be back!!!

When someone asks me......what is the best present I have ever gotten for Christmas?!?!

Here is the answer...

26 months: Land of Sunshine

Noah, Noah...if you only knew how much mommy and daddy care about you and your bright future! As we talk and talk and talk some more about what to do and not to do around daycare, and pre-school, and pre-K, and all that, as we try to decide whether you have been challenged enough where you are, or whether we are paying for the best that you can get (because you deserve no less than that)...so many questions come to our minds. How do we know what is best for you?

Mommy had breakfast with her two best friends today (Lori, thank you for reminding me I had to put something here soon!), we had even more conversations around this topic.

Filho, the more I talk about it, the more I realize your father and I don't know, to be truly honest with you, how to define best in this situation.

Sometimes I feel like we are overthinking the matter, and that we should just let you be a kid, play and be the happy toddler that you are. But then we start debating whether we might be wasting precisous opportunities for you to learn so many new things (that I think you will learn one way or another anyway!)

Yes, I am confusing, I know. I also think that!

How do I know, filho, whether you should stay where you are, or whether you should go to a school for gifted kids? How do I know what will make you the happiest? How do I know your dad and I are giving you the best you can possibly get from an education standpoint?

My sister and a friend once told me that you are truly gifted, so really, it does not matter what we do or when, you will learn things at your own pace. And I think I believe that too.

So, as we ask ourselves all these questions, wishing and praying to God for an answer, you grow in front of our eyes to being such a happy and spirited toddler.

You can create your own logic and you can make full sentences and come up with your own conclusions at this point. You can give the best hugs and kisses a mom can ask for. You have the biggest heart I have ever seen. And of course, I can't help mentioning that you also can push our buttons like no one else can. Your dad and I can't cease to be amazed by all the things that you learn and demonstrate every day. You teach us so much every minute of any given day. We are so truly blessed by your company.

Tonight, as I walk to our favorite Chinese place to get our take out dinner with you, the lady hands you a fortune cookie. You get all excited, as usual, like it is the best thing she could have ever done to anyone (that is how you lighten up the lives of everyone you touch), and as I grab the piece of paper from inside the cookie, there it says: "You are heading for a land of sunshine." That is right, filho. It does not really matter...you have a bright future ahead of you. And we want you to know, that right or wrong, your father and I will ALWAYS be there for you. This is called unconditional love, filho. Happy 26-month birthday. Te amo muito!

Sorry for taking so long to be back!

We are back!!!
My friend Lori told me today: "You have got to put something in there! I have been checking on it every day! We are waiting for something!"
It has been a crazy month, with the move, and the new job finally picking up, and all the year-end activities...but there are no excuses to not be here telling you guys about all the things that are going on...that is the purpose of the blog, right?
Ok, we are back, and I will be here more often.
I owe you all pictures of the new house...working on that!!
Love you all!!!