MJ and Joey

And just for fun, here are a few of the first encounters between MJ and Joey.




MJ holds Joey



Joey’s first night home – he’s only about 28 hours old.

Mario and Joey

Daddy with Joey



Joey making plans with Daddy

Father's Day

On this Father's Day, we looked back at some of the first photos and videos we had of Mario becoming a Daddy. This first post is dedicated to Mario and Mario James.



Mario is a very happy daddy.




Bringing MJ home from the hospital.

Memories

I began putting pictures and videos that were backed up on DVDs back onto our computer today (from the big crash that happened long ago). It was fun looking back at all the memories we captured. I thought this was particularly cute. This was an interview with Mario James in March 2007 (so he was about 2 years 2 months old). I think Aunt Teresa will find this especially cute.



We can't wait to see all the Suarezes again in less than 1 month!

Momma's boys

My boys are all very affectionate. I love Joey's hugs and kisses and the cuddle time that MJ and I have almost every morning (have I shared this routine yet?) Sometime during the cold winter months, MJ and I developed this routine of eating our breakfast and then quickly running to the couch to get cozy under a blanket and watch how the sun would make rainbows in our fish tank. I'd say we still do this 50% of the time, and it is always a lot of fun.

Joey has even spread his affection to other people in our lives (besides his brother and father - whom he also adores). The girls that I baby-swap with to volunteer have become very good friends of my boys. So much that when they come in the door Monday morning, Joey rushes down the stairs to give them big hugs, it is very sweet.

Oh, and MJ said something so sweet a couple of weeks ago about my belly. We were just cuddling after dinner when he said something like "Your tummy is incredible, and the baby is very special". It was vocabulary I didn't think he knew how to use properly, but that summed up all the amazing things about the womb in one word.

So, I began to wonder why I would want to disturb the cuddling/wrestling/dirt-loving atmosphere that currently surrounds our home with a baby girl. Then, while shopping today, I passed the girls' section and thought that maybe, just maybe, it could be fun to buy something pink. Well, 6 more weeks and we'll know (if Little T cooperates).

And in unrelated news, we've been frequenting the pools in this hot weather. Joey who used to love the water, made a surprise move of being VERY clingy to me while we were at the pool on Sunday. Since Mario was there to be with MJ, it worked out fine, but it made me nervous for future pool visits. Plus, Mario was suddenly embarrassed that his younger son was so afraid of the water. Well, his wish came true. Today at the pool, I had not one, but two daredevils on my hands. And they both seem to want to go their own way. Joey really liked walking in deep water (1 1/2 to 2 feet deep) and would often walk with it up to his neck and keep going if I hadn't been there to stop him. I got him to wear arm floaties like MJ, which kind of helps, but I think little baby bodies are too bouyant in other places to make those floaties work the right way. Maybe one of those little swim vests would work for him.

My apologies for the lack of pictures. Our camera should be returning to us either by being fixed or in the form of a check for a new camera (fingers crossed) very shortly.

A Joyful moment

You know, there are some good moments and bad moments in being a parent. Last night, both boys took a bath in a chorus of screaming because they were overtired and I think were feeding off each other's tears. Tonight, they worked together to clean up their toys in a happy way (Joey smiling as he helped and MJ saying "Thanks, Joey.") Tonight, was a good night.

I took in a moment of joy today as we were walking back from our "bike lesson" for the day. MJ got a big boy bike with training wheels last Saturday, and we've had an interesting time becoming comfortable with this new skill. But today, I was proud of both of us (for patience and perserverance). MJ successfully learned how to use the brakes and is confident in going down minor slopes in the terrain. He's also a bit speedier. What was nice was to know I could help him get past his fears and keep trying. He knew I would be there to help him, but was ready to go it on his own once he felt confident. I've taught lots of other people's kids many things, but it's extra rewarding to be able to teach your own child.

For all those mommies and daddies , I feel your pain during those screaming fits (perhaps by both parent and child). And I wish you many opportunities to enjoy the good times as well.

It has been so long

There are so many reasons why I have not been blogging. My newest is that our camera is now broken. We are happy about this, because it has a super warranty and we think we can have it replaced or get a newer version...woo-hoo! Here are pictures from the last weekend this camera was working:

For Memorial Day weekend we went to Charlottesville for a wedding of two friends from business school. It was a very family friendly weekend with lots of kids. Here are the boys being cute and silly at the rehearsal dinner.

I'm sad this was fuzzy... this is one of Joey's happy crazy faces.

And here we are at the wedding. It was at a gorgeous vineyard and the weather could not have been more perfect. It was fun to see all the stars at night (too much ambient light in Ashburn, VA). Our kids were at the hotel with probably the most qualified babysitters we've ever had. She is in nursing school, has worked at day cares, is certified in CPR, the list goes on. This was helpful since Joey had a mystery fever all weekend (which actually broke a few hours before she arrived at our room). But it was nice to know she would be able to handle things. She got both boys to bed nicely (which is trickiest for MJ when we travel for weddings. We've come back from a few where he is still up at midnight.) It was fun hanging out with our Darden friends again.

Our house searching seems to be go and stop. We just want to make sure we are doing the right thing. The first house we officially put an offer on probably would have worked out, but we wondered if it was the "perfect" house for us. So, we put that one on hold and are trying out another place first.

My RE class is finished for the year. It's kind of nice to have Tuesday afternoons free again, but I will miss the little guys. I think I will take off next year for "maternity leave". While it's fun and not too time consuming since my lessons are all planned, it will be tricky finding someone to watch Little T or have Little T in the classroom with me for so long.

MJ learns so many new things each day (such as opposites, weather) who needs pre-school? He continues to be caring and watch over Joey. I believe it is safe to say the kid no longer needs a nap. And if he has one, he's still kind of crazy just before bedtime. This just must be who he is. This weekend we got him a real bike with training wheels. He's so excited to have it and does a great job riding it. He's a little cautious, especially around cars, but is very adventurous in how he leaps off behind the bike sometimes when he wants to stop. I guess I do that all the time, so maybe he got that from watching me.

Joey is trying to talk more, so the screaming is sort of going away. He continues to devour bananas (and all fruit really). But bananas are his real treat. If you give him a banana, he will instantly love you. In fact, a couple of weeks ago I had given him 1 banana in the morning. He ended up also eating half of MJ's banana. Then I went upstairs to clean while the boys were in the kitchen. I heard a chair scooting across the floor (which is usually a bad sign) but delayed my response to finish my task. As I was coming down the stairs, Joey was coming up with a banana peel in his hand and a banana in his mouth. I have no idea how he peeled it on his own, but clearly the kid knows what he wants.

Last week we set up the pool in our backyard, and Joey thinks it's just great. He didn't really use it last year since he was too little. But now he and MJ splash around and have fun. It's nice that they have each other. MJ still asks me to play in the water with them. My most recent excuse is I cannot take my magazine in the pool or it will get wet.

All of my boys are very affectionate. I am bombarded with kisses and hugs daily. But what is it with kids that they begin kissing with their mouths opened? While this is a little slobbery, it is still very sweet.

While this may not be the most exciting news, Tabitha recently posted about her encounters with critters, so here is ours. Last year, we had birds build a nest in our stove exhuast vent. This was rather annoying as the chirping would echo up the vent on a daily basis. We could not reach the nest from the outside, but appearantly spraying a bunch of raid down the vent scared them away (and the ants...2 for 1). This year, I noticed some bird noises after our trip to Charlottesville. I kept the vent on low almost all the time, as that kept them quiet or maybe scared them...I'm not sure. They were clearly in the process of making their nest. Then a day later, I noticed the happy nice birds who built a nest under our deck had been ousted and their nest was on the ground. I guess the two bird families had a fight over territory. I removed the nest and put tape over our exhaust vent. End result...no birds in our vent! Ah... quiet.

I'm sure I've missed so much, but this is a good start.