Happy second birthday to our sweet little boy! You are a gift from God. You are an endless amount of joy, full of love and cuddles, attitudes and whining are never too far. You are our favorite ball player, outdoor runner, dog walker, blippi watcher, trampoline jumper, ice pop muncher, night time riser, early morning riser, mess maker. We love you all the way to the moon and back and an infinite amount of times back and forth again. You are a treasure, may you bring this world lots of goodness!
Seventeen years of a beautiful marriage and
I couldn’t have asked for more than these four kids we brought into the world together. They are a symbol of our love and God’s love for us.
Seventeen years ago we would have been on our way to Hawaii, but today I’m so excited and looking forward to hopefully fitting in a nice long walk
Coffee on the porch and
Sharing left over fried calamari!
I want
I might
I’ll try
I can
I will
I did
This was my last 10 year old girl party. I can’t believe how quickly my little girls have grown up. This was definitely an exciting party for all of the ages, so maybe this is not the end, but the beginning of new and exciting ways to celebrate my girls. We baked everything ahead of time and her sisters and cousins decorated one mini cake each and 3 cupcakes. To get them started, they all got an apron with their initial on it. There was 12 icing piping bags and got 3 little cups each of candy and cupcakes toppers to decorate, along with edible flowers and sprinkles. when they were all done we packaged their little cakes into a cake box. So adorable. I would do this party all over again. It was so much fun, I might do this for my next birthday!
My last little lady turned 10 today! I remember saying to myself all year, “ok, she’s still 9, still my little baby” and now she is officially double digits. My goodness the time has flied. So many good times. Lia adds so much spice into our lives. She definitely cracks us up with her funny comments and amazes us with her mature insights. Her birthday requests was to have a day off from school, she “slept in” until 6:30 am which she called a treat. She requested to go fishing with dad in the morning, then a little beach trip with myself and Liam. Bake a cake with me, she ended up making her own cake all by herself! She requested homemade empanadas and fries for dinner and just hang out with her family! Next week she will be celebrating with family in which she asked to have a cake decorating party! 
She got to make her own birthday cake! And she made this entirely by herself! My jaw dropped when I saw it completed. But this is lia, she is capable of anything!
It took me so long to cut this cake because it was just so gorgeous, how could I bring myself to cut it! Well let me say, it was just as yummy as it was gorgeous! Can’t wait to discover 10 year old Lia. 
We surprised her with a Polaroid camera in which she captured beautiful moments from her day. We love you Lia and hope you had the best day ever!
Hawaii 2004, on my honeymoon with daddy. No sign of you children for at least 3 years. Life seemed chaotic and crazy but actually it was very simple. I had time to take a picture with a bunch of birds on my head! I had no clue what life was really about. This picture is kinda funny, fast forward 17 years and there’s 4 kids hanging around my head just like this.
I don’t wish I could go back because the present has so much to offer, but some days I wish I could just revisit these little girls who have grown so beautifully in front of my eyes. I didn’t miss a thing and I’m so happy with all of the time I invested in raising you. I didn’t sacrifice anything because every moment spent with you was worth more than anything in this world. So happy for the wisdom of knowing that things will wait, but growing up happens fast. So proud of the young ladies you’re becoming. Grateful to be on this journey of motherhood with you.
Happy Mother’s day to those who are here with us and those who have passed. Mother’s, Grandmother’s, aunts, neighbors and friends who have helped to shape us into who we’ve become and give us the wisdom to raise good humans. I love you mom. 
Safta, not a day goes by that we don’t miss you. Happy mother’s day.
Today would have been your 100th birthday! We all assumed we’d celebrate this day with you here on earth, but 94 was your lucky number. I feel blessed to have spent 37 years with you, it wasn’t enough but its more than I could have ever asked for. We miss you so much. Miss your wisdom the most. So much going on in this world today, I wonder what you’d say about it. I miss our trips to homedepot, finding you working in your shed, talks about life, watching you drink your wine, eating meals with you, the classical music that played all day in the background and just sitting with you in the back yard. You lived a complete life, a simple one. You lived by example showing us all what mattered most. “Life is wonderful” you’d say, and you were right. Happy birthday dad!
Its been years since I’ve marched to the beat of my own drum. I remember the simple routine of going to work, coming home, eating dinner and watching a favorite show or working on some project of interest, but right now in this season, its not only about me. Marriage, 4 kids, chickens, a dog, a house, no one agreeing on dinner, constant arguing, laundry that reminds me of how big and blessed my family is, these days I’m marching to the beat of an entire band. I know it’s not forever, so I work hard each day to be mindful and absorb as much of the moments as I can, because I know sooner or later I’ll find my own beat again. I’m definitely not a lead drummer and I don’t like playing solo, so having all of these rhythms throughout the day make me feel so alive and full of purpose. The kids definitely lead and i just adjust the tunes here and there. Its tough keeping everyone happy and meeting the needs of everyone but when we finally find that harmony, it feels good. We’ve learned to play nice together and some days we don’t but I think our family makes a pretty good band! Right now we have a nice rythm to our day. It feels good! We all start our day together, eating, chatting and getting ready for the day, then off to school, work or play. Late afternoon we all come home again and chat about daily drama, tests taken or new words spoken. A couple of hours in between dinner time are spent doing homework, chatting/texting with friends, playing, or watching a video and soon we come together for dinner. Some nights are chaotic dinners where everyone is talking and no one is listening, kids screaming and parents too, along with their eyes crossed and some dinners are filled with laughter and togetherness, either way we’ve rarely missed a dinner together and I cherish each meal we’ve shared. Evenings are spent cleaning up, making more messes, playing, yelling, some phone time, sometimes playing games, sitting by a fire, taking a walk and finally ending up on the couch to watch a show picked by the kids, falling asleep and waking everyone up to go upstairs and drift off to dreamland. Next day I thank God that I get to do it all over again.
