Momma's Boy

Avery is growing and changing more every day!
He is becoming quite expressive, and always has a smile on his face....unless Donovan comes around, and then its more of a wincing, worried frown!!! He has begun to giggle and coo- and he is such a talker! He will carry on a whole converstation with anyone who will give him attention....he's just so precious! Avery is tough too, which is good since his big brother is pretty rough with him. Donovan thinks that he can just go wrestle with him, he has no concept of Avery being a "baby." -Luckily Avery is easy going and he just "rolls with it".

Peas in a Pod

How many brothers can you fit in a cradle?

Daddy's Day-Its in the GIVING

Let me just say this, in defense of all well-intentioned wives who will inevitably try this project at least once in their lifetime, it would do you well in the appreciation dept. to video tape the process of the making of the shirt itself. Afterall, we ideally want the man in our lives who is on the receiving end of this gift to truly melt in appreciation of this present, and to ooh & aah and tell you how much better this is than that laser precision table saw he wanted. While we might not get such an overwhelming reaction (those reactions do in fact happen on Mother's Day;), seeing your husband put his hand against the tiny imprinted fingers on the shirt will inevitably make this all worth while.

No daddy in his right mind will ever understand what labor- nor the blood, sweat & tears that are poured into this simple looking activity. My second piece of advice is: when making the handprint of a 3 month old baby, you will need about five people to help you- at least one for each tightly clenched finger. Despite the fact that April & I were about three or four people short, this shirt still managed to come out okay...despite a few necessary smudges. The one thing that I did right in FORESIGHT, rather than hindsight, as are the above 2 lessons learned, is to STRIP EACH CHILD NAKED. Red fabric paint is made to come off of skin a lot better than hands. Prepare yourself though, for while the graphic arts are normally PG rated, the process in making a Father's Day Handprint Shirt with red paint will create a bloodier scene than you will find in any horror movie. Speaking of which, did I mention to video tape it when you undertake this project?.....

Candid moments of brotherly love

Happy Father's Day!

Proud Grandpa, Daddy & Happy Boys

Singing in the rain...

For those of you who have pondered the great question: How does the mother of two boys under the age of two take a shower?
This picture is the expose` shot that shows this rare behind the scenes look.
Its called s.- elf.- restraint.... (Seated Elf Restraints)

She Can Sew?!!!!

So while hubby was away for some infantry training, me and the infants were in our own little training. I threw myself into some projects to keep my mind occupied, and here is an example of one of the few things that actually turned out. (painting the cabinets-not so good.) This is the quilt I made for DJ's room- its an airplane theme now...since airplanes are his latest addiction.
Yet with all the love and pride that went into hours buring the midnight oil to make this (my first ever) special quilt for him, when I ceremoniosly presented it to him he got all excited and said "fish". Ok, so he didn't SAY fish, because he doesn't really identfy things with words yet, but rather the sound they make, so he made his fish face and smacked his lips in the "fish" sound. Anyway, for all my labor in searching for just the right airplane material to satisfy this boys love of the skies, he ended up thinking they were fish.
Can't blame me for trying. HaHa!

Soul White

Water & Spirit

The Baptism of Avery Jude
St. Helena's Parish

05-29-06

Saving Grace...Not Saving Face

(Avery made it through the baptism but lost it during the photo-op:)

Proud Godparents David & April

Dirty Reading???

Okay, this one really puzzles me....I have heard of dirty reading before, but I mostly correlated that to magazines of scantily clad women....Playboy and such. But I never thought that the ABC's, Baby Einstein's Farm Animals and Winne the Pooh would get such a strong reaction:)

Is there some message I should be getting here, Donovan? Well...it sure looks like he will be a JOY to homeschool!

RED-HANDED

THE CRIME SCENE:


Do I really need words here? This is what happens when mommy takes the priviledge of going to the bathroom by herself....

Donovan knows just what to go for in the two minutes he has to work with....he even eats the chocolate with the wrapper and all...just chews until all is left is the foil and then spits the foil out.

As far as the jury is concerned, this was totally pre-meditated....the chair was in the dining room before he pushed it all the way to the kitchen counter as we see here.

FACES

Dippin in the Junk Drawer....

Move over MaxFactor...its all about

Office Max this season!
For this summer's sizzling lips, look to the new

Hi-Liter Couture line at your local beauty counter.

(Donovan found a hi-liter and a pen a decided that he would have a more appealing smooch if it were yellow. Too bad he's not coordinated enough to stay in the lines yet...he missed his lips and mostly got it on his teeth and tongue:)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Mother's of boys work from son up till son down."

All About Avery

Yes, he looks like my "borrowed baby," but he's definitely mine! At first look, Avery is all Daddy, yet though his perfect tan might be deceiving, some of the expressions that dance across that little baby face show a glimmer of his mom. Yet to the average lady in the grocery store, I must be his babysitter;)

Avery is my sweetie, my little "love bug" as Joey and I call him, and he is my opportunity for cuddles and snuggles since Donovan has (for the most part) left the comfort of my lap to conquer the world! Avery is such a precious little guy. His personality is very laid back & easy going, though his tummy troubles have given him good reason to complain of late. I have spent many days over the past weeks pacing and bouncing, trying keep him soothed (its a great postpartum workout:) Luckily some good meds have helped bring him back to his content & sleepy little self.

Yesterday was his 8 week birthday- and I must confess that once again it was a blur...even though I stubbornly tried to cherish every minute of it. It seems as if Avery has been transformed from my little 5 lb. preemie to a chubby little 12 lb. cherub practically overnight! He is our Mr. Personality, as from day one he lacked that far-away look many newborns have, and instead his eyes have always been full of wonder and a curious element of wisdom. It would seem that Avery was born with a special knowledge, like some important secret that the world will learn as his skills develop and slowly unlock it. And while part of me can't wait to see that happen and see him grow and change, I desperately want him to stay the same, my little bundle that I can comfort and hold forever.

Of course big brother "the blur" Donovan is living proof that time will eventually take my baby away, and return a bundle of energy that can't stay still. But until that day I will indulge myself in his babyness, from his dreamy baby smell to dressing him in those tiny clothes and shoes. Yes, I will even miss the pacing at night to calm his colic.

His most recent milestones include graduating to size 2 diapers and my personal fave: smiling back when you interact with him. In contrast, he also makes the best most pathetic little pout you have ever seen!

Before Avery's birth Joey made me promise to take a picture of the baby every month on the same backround, so that we could see all of the changes as he grows. The pics below are what we have so far...its amazing to look back at how he has grown since birth!

One Week

One Month

2 Months

Coming Together

This Sunday, May 7th was Joey's 8 year old son Draven's First Holy Communion! Together Joey & I , with our boys, as well as Joey's parents (Grandma & Grandpa Reyes) and of course Draven's mom, Merida & her parents (Grandma & Grandpa Ortega) came together at St. Patrick's to celebrate & witness this pinnacle moment in Draven's life. Below are the pictures of the blessed event! Enjoy!

The boys are so cute...Draven and Donovan have such a unique connection- Draven is pretty shy normally, but with his brother Donnie Joe, Draven just lights up, and can't resisit hugging and carrying his little bro around!

Grandpa & Grandma Reyes, Joey, Donovan, Kateri, Avery & Draven

All of our boys together! Joey, by the way, had Guard Duty this weekend, but thankfully got time off for the First Communion Mass. -Hence the BDU cammo;)