Death to a 4 year old

This past year Felix has lost a lot of pets; Camo, Gabby (parakeet), Moon Fish, Chickens (we had to give them away), and recently Goldie (goldfish)...

Explaining death to our 4 year old in the most simplest terms and seeing his eyes fill with tears pulls at the heart strings! We have had to say goodbye to a lot of our family (pets), and for a young child it can be confusing, scary and bring up a lot of questions. 

As a child I was terrified of dying and leaving the people I love and not having my mom. Just this past week Felix has shown all the same fears. He asks repeatedly if "Daddy and Mommy are going to die soon?" I am a firm believer in teaching children the truth, but in words they understand. I explain that Daddy and I have a lot more life to live and that we are healthy and young. And each time, he looks at me with his big brown eyes and cries, "But I am going to miss you". 

Dying is the unknown (with or without religion). No one knows what really happens, and no one can explain it perfectly. All I can do is show my boys unconditional love, comfort and be truthful with them. There are still times when the thought of dying scares me, but now it isn't just about leaving the people I love and my mom. It's about knowing my boys will be alright and that they will look out for each other. 

I love you Felix Rene and Oscar Vincent. Daddy and I will always be a part of you, no matter where we all are! ❤️

Fun Family Weekend

We do holidays big in our family, especially because we have kids to celebrate for. Our house was decorated for Valentine's Day and we had presents throughout the day. I came home to a delicious home cooked meal from Walter, along with an exchange of presents. This year, for some reason, Felix came up with the "Heart Fairy". It was fun to play into his imagination and keep this spirit alive. My mom always made celebrations the most fun and I love passing that onto my kids! Watching Felix light up when the special day arrives is so much fun! 

Saturday, Felix started soccer again. He had more control over the ball. I love watching him gain confidence in the game and pump his fist into the air when he makes a goal! He then glances over to me to make sure I saw and gives me a thumbs up, I of course tear up! That evening we signed him up for Tee Ball! He is a little more hesitant to start a new sport, not knowing any kids. He signed his very first "Code of Conduct", and again, it made me tear up. Walter and I are so excited for this next chapter. Watching baseball was such a major part of my adolescence, and Felix has some of the best people to help him learn the new sport (Uncle Brandon and Uncle Mond)...not to mention when Walter was featured on Wednesdays Child, as a young boy, he was playing baseball with Jeff Gianola!

Finally, Sunday afternoon we were able to celebrate Felix's birthday with family and friends! He had all his special people around to sing him Happy Birthday! Felix chose a Snowbaby theme and I don't think I could have came up with a better party idea then that. He received amazing gifts and had fun running around after his cousins, best friends and playing with Sully! It was a long afternoon, but so worth it! I am glad we were finally able to make it happen and that everyone still came! 

A two week celebration came to an end! I love celebrating my family, I love watching their face light up with joy, I love making someone feel special! We had a great family weekend! 

One last Happy 4th to my sweet baby! I love you FRG, you rock my world! 

Hello 4

3 came and went so quickly! I loved it all! He became much more independent and grew so much; fully potty trained with no pull-ups at night, becoming a big brother, starting school, first soccer class, first train ride. 

He makes me so proud of the person he is becoming. He is compassionate, confident, happy, polite and loving. His love for life brings a smile to everyone around him. He cares deeply about animals, his family and as he would say, "Mother Earth". 

Felix Rene, you are my sunshine! You are my happiness and I couldn't be more in love with you! Thank you for being you and bringing us all such joy! I love every inch of you, including every beautiful chocolate spot! Happy Happy Birthday Groundhog! Here's to a great 4th year! 

2014

Bittersweet! I had a wonderful 2013! There were hard times, but the birth of my sweet baby outweighs it all! 

2013 Pros:

Easy (high risk) Pregnancy

Birth of my Ox

Watching Felix become a big brother

Felix starting school

Felix's first train ride

Felix playing soccer

The G Fam visiting

A beautiful Summer vacation

Expansion of my extended family

Oscar's first beach trip

Oscar's first Christmas

I know there were many more memories made...this year was one of my favorites! 

I know 2014 will be great! I cannot wait to watch Oscar and Felix grow and develop...I just wish it didn't happen at such a fast pace!

   

December

So much...

Oscar turned 6 months, I turned 31, we celebrated many special occasions, Oxy had his first snow and I felt like I was home more with my babes! 

I took a few extra days off around my birthday to be home with my boys. I had a great celebration and it felt so nice to be home with my family.

December 10th, Ox had his half birthday. We celebrated with his 6 month check up! Ugh! He showed Dr Birk all his new talents and was so brave with the shots! He weighed in at 16lbs 12oz and was 28.25 inches, still long and lean. He had tried more food and seemed to be getting used to the textures. He still loves to be held, loves to be talked to and LOVES his mommy, daddy and brother. His smile and little giggle melt my heart! I could listen to that sound all day! 

Christmas seemed to really creep up on us! My mom and I took Felix and Oscar to the Queen Anne Victorian Mansion, Peacock Lane and The Grotto. This year he really seemed to understand the magic of Christmas. Oscar liked the lights and seemed to really be taking in all the new experiences. 

Thanksgiving

This year, like every year, I am thankful for my family. I am also thankful for giving birth to a healthy baby, my job, having a roof over my head and food to eat. This year has been quite a ride. I look forward to the next couple weeks and to celebrate some of Oscar's firsts. 

I am thankful for Felix's loving nature. I am thankful for how caring and compassionate he is. We lost a lot of our animal family this year (his best friends). Like many households, our pets are a part of our family. We still talk about them weekly and how he wished they were here, especially Camo. Felix, thank you for being my loving sweetness, I adore you! 

I am thankful for my morning snuggles with Oscar, with no interruptions. I will usually hold him in my arms and rock side to side, his head rests on my shoulder, we are both very content. Oscar, thank you for being my baby and giving me your big smile when you first wake up in the morning! It is a great way to start my day! 

I am thankful for Walter's willingness to do anything to help out my tired body! He never complains and just picks up where he needs. Walter, thank you for loving our family as much as you do and for always supporting me. You work so hard for our family, I appreciate it so very much! 

And my biggest thanks goes to my mom!  I am thankful for everything my mom does to help my family out. So many things wouldn't be able to happen without her! She is such an amazing, hardworking person! Mom, thank you for EVERYTHING you do for us! I know our boys are loved everyday they are with you! 

October Fun

We visited many pumpkin patches this season. They all had something different, which made for a good time. I love this time of year and to share these fall days with my main guys. Oscar is too young to understand it all, but he is definitely taking in all the new sights and he has a big brother that gets it all! 

Felix went on his first field trip and I was able to go with him. It was so much fun and he had a blast at the farm with the other kids. It was the first time in a while that Felix and I just had time together. We were both in heaven. It had been a long time coming and although he loves being with Oscar, he is still a baby himself and needs me. 

Oscar had his 4 month check up. Come to find out he is long and lean just like Felix was. He was 14lbs 4oz and 26.5 inches long. Compared to Felix he is a big boy at this age, it is fun for me to compare their numbers. He is healthy, still doesn't like to sleep too long at night and is starting to like his car seat a little better.  He received a couple shots, but really did well with them. Dr. Birk said we could start food if we wanted. He said it might help with the sleeping, I jumped right on that, but it didn't! 😉

Halloween was fun! I took the day off of work to spend it with the boys. Felix was allowed to wear his costume to school and they had a little party. I showed up a little early to catch the kids trick or treating around the community center. We all went to Mor Mor's house for dinner and trick or treating. Felix was tired after about 45 minutes, his legs hurt, but he kept trucking along. 

We had a great month. Lots of new experiences for Ox! These next couple months should be fun, watching Felix and Oscar together. I love my boys! They truly do complete me...including Walter!