Ocean City 2011!

Last week we spent Monday thru Friday at the beach--Ocean City, MD to be exact. Ocean City is our closest resort town and we love visiting. In fact, we have been fortunate enough to be able to go every year for the past 5 years. It was even more special this year, because we know that next year we probably will not make it to Ocean City since we are planning a big Disney trip in June 2012. We had a really great vacation, despite a little 24 hour stomach bug Abe and Alex ended up with on Tuesday and a little ear infection Amaya had at the beginning of the week. We still made the most of our trip though. Went to the beach everyday (except Abe and Alex skipped out on Tuesday of course!), walked the boardwalk every night, played in the arcade, rode the famous OC trolley, and ate lots of yummy boardwalk food. Alex's favorite part of the trip was most definitely playing bowling at the Sportland Arcade at the inlet. He was allowed 3 games per night, since each game cost $1 and he played his 3 games every night we were there! He still asks when he can go back and play bowling again. He played with his trucks in the sand the first day, but wanted no part of getting sand all over him the other day he went. He also wanted no part of going anywhere near the water! Amaya, on the other hand,was a little sand crab. She loved, loved, loved the sand. She rolled in it, dug her feet and hands in it, and even tasted it! She also enjoyed the water. She liked to stand at the edge and let the waves crash into her feet. She even got knocked down and Mommy had to rescue her a few times (considering she only weighs about 21 lbs.) But she got right back up and wanted to do it again. Both kids really enjoyed lounging in their strollers while cruising up and down the boardwalk at night too. We all came home tanned and tired, but I can defintely say we're missing the beach and being on beach time this week! What a great way to start the summer!

Riding the trolley
Hanging out on the boardwalk wall

Alex hanging out on the balcony

Abe and Alex on the beach!

Abe and I taking a self-portrait in front of the ocean
"Hey, I could use some help with this people!"

Digging in the sandBig smiles after getting soaked in the water

Loving the waves!

Little sand crab laying on her towelMy little model posing for a pic on the beach

What is a Father?

Father's Day recently passed on Sunday, June 19th and it got me thinking about what it takes to be a Father, from a mother's point of view. So what does it take to be a father? This is not an exhaustive list by the way...

1.Patience. I think this is just what it takes to be a parent. You have to be able to wait out the tantrums without losing it yourself. You have to stand by and watch them do things your not happy with, while teaching them those valuable life lessons all the while. It takes time and patience abounding to be a Dad.

2. Humor. Parenting is hilarious--simply put. Around every corner is something hysterical waiting to happen, something funny your kids might say or do. Since these moments are not always glamorous or graceful (especially with babies and toddlers) Dads must find the humor in raising these little comedians they call their own.

3. Appreciation. Dads must find the beauty in the role that has been chosen for them as fathers and appreciate every moment of it. Dads have to realize the beauty of being a Father isn't dwelling on what life once was like, but thinking about the amazing journey he is on now and appreciating every second of that journey. It isn't about arranging time for himself anymore. A good father realizes and desires to be there for every moment of their children's lives--whether it be an everyday moment of seeing the joy on his son's face playing his favorite game to a once in a lifetime moment like watching his baby take his or her first steps. A father appreciates all of these things and wants to be there for them by any means necessary.

Abe is all of these things. He is simply put a wonderful father. It is a joy to watch him rough house with Alex, teach him how to play games, get down on the floor and race cars with him. It is wonderful to watch him sing silly songs and do silly dances with Amaya, play tea party with her,and encourage her budding art skills. My kids are so lucky to have such a wonderlful and loving man to call their Daddy and I am so lucky to call him my husband. Not all men understand that raising children is not simply"women's work" or something you do on the side in between your own interests, but Abe truly understands it is a 2 person job and something worth dedicating your entire heart and soul and of course all of your time to. He is a father and he knows what it means to be one.

Abe getting ready to have a water gun battle with the kids in our front yard

Playing in the sand with the kids

Teaching Alex about the tides at Ocean City

Cheering on his little bowlers at the arcade
Abe's Father's Day present- vibram five fingers shoes. This is what he wanted :)

Sacred Heart of Mary Parish Picnic!

Our little mud puddle princess (love this picture

On Sunday, June 12th, Sacred Heart of Mary Church held a wonderful parish picnic at Chesterwood Park in Dundalk. We of course attnded along with all the nephews and our one and only beauitful little niece. We had a really great time. The church had lots of activities for kids big and small, such as: relay races, water balloon fights,hula hoop contests, and a pinata. Alex particpated in the water balloon fight and the pinata and really enjoyed himself. There was also a playground nearby that all of the kids spent some time in. Miss Amaya being ever so lady like even found a nice little mud puddle to stomp around in and get her shoes dirty in. We of course took tons of pictures at the picnic,so enjoy! Now begins the countdown to the last 2 days of school for Mama and Ocean City next week--finally some summer relaxation coming our way!

Our two silly kids playing on the stairs before leaving for the picnic

Hit that pinata Alex!

Alex playing on top of the playground set

Alex with his water balloon

Go Daniel! Win that hula hoop contest

Matthew getting hit with a water balloon

Daniel and Alex

Abe and hiscute little girl

Me and my cutie Amaya

Her beautiful smile has gained a few more teeth lately!

Julia and Amaya trying to hula hoop

Dylan is a Nemo head

Alex's First Soccer Trophy

\\ Proudly showing off his first trophy!

On June 1st, Alex received his very first soccer trophy! He particpated in an indoor spring league for 2-4 year olds, coached by former Baltimore Blast player, P.J. Wakefield. The clinic was really awesome and Alex learned so much about dribbling, passing, shooting goals and especially teamwork! Most importantly he had a blast and really enjoyed playing.It sure is fun to watch 2-4 year olds play soccer together too! lol He enjoyed the league so much that he wants to sign up for the summer session starting June 22nd! Enjoy some of the cite pics of him with his team and at his awards ceremony. He's our little number 1 :)

Sitting with some of his soccer friends...they are all paying attention to the coach of course..lol

The four teams in the league with the coach..Alex is easy to spot..the only with his arm up :)

Dutch Wonderful--Season Opener!

Riding the choo-choo

This weekend we travelled to Lancaster, PA to visit our favorite kids' amusement park, Dutch Wonderland! We had so much fun! The park was not busy at all ,meaning there were no lines for rides, and the weather was wonderful. We had so much fun riding Alex's favorite ride, the choo-choo of course, but also found a few new favorites this year. Amaya seemed to really like the turnpike, where she rode in the passenger seat and Mommy drove her around and the dragon boats were also a hit. One ride we can defintely cross off of our list is the Whip. Alex hated this ride.In fact, it brought tears and screams if terror, so we will be avoiding it from now on! Luckily it didn't completely scar him and we were able to get on other rides afterwards, but he refused to go on anything alone after that one! Another bit of news..Miss Amaya is of course still in the Aqua colored height category, but Alex has moved up one to lime green :) Enjoy some pics from our fun trip!

The infamous "whip"--the smiles didn't last long...

Amaya and Daddy riding on the monorail

Pretending to drive a horse and buggy

Our precious baby girl...

Eating breakfast and getting ready for the appointment

You all know who we are talking about here...little miss Amaya Soleil--born November 7, 2009, on a Saturday night. Our little peanut who packs a lot of personality into that tiny little body. Well she gave us a little scare recently, and we are so thankful that everything turned out to be okay. At her 18 month check-up, her doctor discovered for the first time that she had a heart murmur. Of course, since this murmur had not previously shown up at check-ups, she was concerned and we were referred to a pediatric cardiologist and told we would be given an apointment very quickly. In between the check-up and the cardiologist appointment (which was about 2 weeks)I researched the internet, talked to some people at work and of course got myself pretty scared about the whole thing. Pretty much, I found out that a heart murmur at her age could be anything from completely normal and insignificant to a major defect or marker for heart disease..Yikes! The appointment day came--May 25th, and I took off of work to take her. There is nothing more frightening in the world than watching doctors perform tests on your baby's heart--let me tell you. It is especially scary when you are standing there watching the echocardiogram and ekg machines without a clue as to what your seeing and wondering if that little shadow is abnormal and what is that hole right there, etc. I think my heart must have been beating faster than hers during the whole process. Finally after about a 20 minute wait trying to contain an 18 month old, the doc came in and told me the results were great. She does have a murmur, but it's what's called a functional murmur, meaning it will never affect her in any way, will never cause her to have any restrictions and may even go away as she gets older. Lots of answered prayers that day. We are just so happy our little princess is okay and will be okay. After the appointment, I took her to Honeygo Park in White Marsh and just enjoyed some one-on-one time with my healthy little girl!

She loved the slide more than anything!

Her expression pretty much says it all :) She had a blast on the swing!

Smiling away on the see-saw

Pappy and Nana's House!

Pappy and Nana's house

On May 21st (remember the day the world was supposed to end..lol)we travelled about 3 and a half hours to Allegany County to visit my parents, otherwise known as Pappy and Nana to the kids. Spring and Summer are my favorite times to go home. They say you can take a girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl--well that is so true for me. I can't endure city life for too long before I start to long for the smell of fresh, clean air, beautiful wide open spaces and those gorgeous familiar mountains looming in the distance. Some people in the Baltimore area tend to think places like Perry Hall or Hereford are country, but they sure aren't country to me! We spent the weekend swinging on the front porch, reminiscing, watching hummingbirds fly around the porch and watching the kids run around the yard. My Dad even took Alex down to the crick (we do not say "creek" EVER btw) and found some quality sticks for him to toss in. He had a ball with this of course! My Grandparents came up in the evening then and sat and talked awhile. It is awesome to still have my grandparents around and for my kids to get to know them, love them and listen to them tell their stories. I feel so blessed to have them in my life, because so many people no longer have any grandparents and I am so lucky that I still have 2. All in all, it was an awesome weekend filled with love, laughter, and good ole country fun.

Pappy and the kids checking out the crick

Alex sitting in the empty sandbox..C'mon Nana, get some sand in this thing!

Amaya lounging on the porch swing

Playing in my parents' beautiful bridal bush
Pappy and Alex walking down to the bridge

Up on the hood of Uncle Brandon's car

Amaya enjoying some ice cream with her brother
Amaya refused to wear shoes pretty much all weekend.. little country girl!