First Sleepover

The weekend of April 14, I had the honor of serving as a bridesmaid in my dear friend Violeta's wedding. She was truly the most stunning bride I've ever seen.

The handsome bridal party

Ready for a glass of wine at the reception!

It happened to be an adults-only reception which meant my two little guys had to stay behind. The reception was held in the late afternoon in Palo Alto so Randy and I decided to stay the night and the kids had their sleepover away from us! Technically Cruz has slept away from us twice but he was only 2 and 4 months old so that hardly counts. I had to be in Palo Alto by Friday for the dress rehearsal, so Randy was solo the first night. The following day he dropped the kids off at his mom's house in Vallejo, with all the essentials plus Cruz's favorite snacks, DVDs, toy cars and trucks, books for bedtime, his Lightning McQueen pillow, white noise machine and a water canteen...phew! I haven't even mentioned Lucas yet! Packing for two small kids is no small task but I think I've gotten pretty adept at it and I can usually pack from a mental list in my head. Needless to say I was pretty anxious about the sleepover. I wasn't really concerned about Lucas because he's too young to know what's going on, so I was worried about Cruz and whether he would be upset at bedtime, looking for us. Long story short, the sleepover went off without a hitch and he had a great time with Ate Josie and Lola.

One highlight of the stay was picking oranges and calamansi fruit from Lola's backyard. Once we returned to the hotel after the reception I called Josie to video chat with Cruz and to say good night. Here's a screenshot from our conversation.

He had just finished reading bedtime stories with Ate Josie and they were ready to hit the lights.

We missed hugging and kissing him at bedtime but it was comforting to know he was happy and being cared for. We're fortunate that Cruz is a well-adjusted kid and is pretty flexible with changes and very independent. As a mother I am wistful that this maturity also means he is growing up before my very eyes. Yet another reminder to cherish every moment with our kids because the present quickly becomes the past. That being said, Randy and I also enjoyed some uninterrupted adult time which is few and far between these days! We had a great time dancing at the reception and having a few glasses of wine.

I slept 8 hours straight two nights in a row - I can't remember the last time that happened - and we enjoyed a breakfast together on Sunday morning before picking up the boys. Now that we know the kids are totally fine without us, we just may venture and do another night (or two!) away from them for special occasions like our anniversary...or because we can :)

Got scissors?

Since Cruz was born Randy has been his barber. He tries to give him a haircut every 3-4 weeks, but being in residency with an ever-changing schedule means sometimes the haircut gets delayed. This was the case recently and Cruz's hair got quite shaggy. I was feeding Lucas one afternoon and Cruz was playing nearby when he said "look mommy, I'm like you". I looked up and burst out laughing when I saw he was wearing one of my small hair clips! His hair was long enough to make a tiny ponytail! I showed the picture to Randy that night and Cruz soon got a haircut - better to see that handsome face of his!

Before

And after

This is how he rolls

After weeks of attempts, Lucas successfully rolled over last Wednesday. He was attracted by one of Cruz's trucks and wasn't very happy when he found himself on his tummy. Yay for milestones!

The pictures below with him in a white tee were taken a couple of weeks ago when I thought he was going to do it. The last one photo is when he actually rolls over all the way.

Warming up

Close but not quite

Content to be sideways

Success achieved on March 28! Go Lucas!

Boys and their toys

Snapped a quick photo of a little down time with both boys playing quietly with cars and trucks - even Lucas! I just hope they play this nicely in the future.

Lucas' Christening Day

Last weekend we celebrated one of Lucas' first rites of passage in this world - his baptism in the Catholic faith. His christening was held at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Vallejo. This is the same parish where I received my first Confession, first Communion, Confirmation and where Randy and I were married.The weather had been cold and rainy all week with more rain forecasted for the day of his baptism, but by a stroke of luck the day remained dry until after our reception.

Lucas wore the most adorable little christening outfit that reminded me of little French school children from the olden days.

Because it was still cold we didn't change him into his outfit until we got to the church. Here he is with Ate Gabby wearing a sweater and snazzy pin-striped pants.

Randy and I put a lot of thought into who we choose as godparents for our children. We are not the type to choose anyone out of obligation, nor do we choose very many. Both Cruz and Lucas have two sets of godparents each. For both children my sister and brother-in-law are godparents, and for Lucas we asked our good friends Josh and Christine Kroll. My sister and Kuya Maynard were obvious choices because they are like second parents to my kids - always happily taking care of them anytime we ask and truly love them like their own.

We became friends with the Krolls through my former college roommate and hit it off instantly. We met in 2000 and have been friends ever since, growing closer over the years. They have 3 awesome children, with their 2nd and 3rd kids being the same age as Cruz and Lucas. They have been big supporters of Randy and I as individuals and of our family as a whole. More importantly I believe they share our perspective on faith and family values. I know in my heart that if something untimely were ever to happen to Randy or I, they would do whatever they could to make sure our children were cared for. We are so lucky to have them as friends/family.

Lucas was the first child to be baptized that day. Randy held him over the fount and Father Jess Soriano baptized him in the name of the Father,

and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit - AMEN!

Lucas was calm the entire time and even smiled at the people he could see!

After the ceremony we invited all of our guests to a lunch reception at Zio Fraedo's restaurant at the Vallejo Waterfront. We have had two other events there in the past because the food and service are top notch every time. We had a hearty spread that had something for everyone.

To make things a little more special I created my own dessert table. In keeping with the "purity" and baptism theme I went with an all-white motif. I thought it looked clean and polished. The desserts included vanilla bean marshmallows, yogurt raisins, yogurt pretzels, meringues, powdered donuts, s'more cupcakes (ok not totally white but I couldn't resist the yummy flavor) and double vanilla cupcakes.

My sister made these adorable favors. She individually wrapped small Hershey bars and bundled them together with ribbon. Tiny clothespins finished the look - how cute are they?

Lucas' christening day was a special event that we kept on the smaller side, choosing mostly family to celebrate with us. I have peace in my heart knowing that my son has been officially dedicated to the Lord and has claimed his own birthright as a child of God.

I will end with this simple bible verse: "Whoever welcomes a child in My name, welcomes Me" - Luke 9:46-48.

Show some leg

Randy plopped Lucas down into the saucer so he could run an errand. I walked into the kitchen and laughed out loud when I saw one of Lucas' pant legs hiked all the way up. I couldn't resist taking a picture of his meaty leg - makes me want to bite it every time I look at it!

Candid camera

I realized I currently have 400+ photos on my iPhone - what a luxury as a parent in this day and age to be able to whip out your smartphone and capture all those candid moments of your family life.

Here are some recent photos:

March 9 was my niece Jessica's 6th birthday. Lucas and I called her using FaceTime so we could greet her happy birthday before she went to school.

Here she is blowing out her candles.

Cruz woke up from a nap with some crazy bed head!

The boys posing in their new shirts that Auntie Leslie brought back from Hawaii.

Lucas intently watches Cruz's every move as he eats dinner. I think he's ready for real food!

Cruz informed me he got himself ready to go to Tita's house. His get-up includes Randy's socks, my sports bra worn over his pants, cardboard on his arm and my hat.

Lately Cruz has really gotten into spelling and constantly asks what signs say, what words certain letters make up, etc. Here he is playing with a simple word spelling game from Auntie Dorothy.

I love candid photos like these so much more than "posed" photos - they really tell a story about a moment in time. These are the moments that are often forgotten but are the ones that truly make up the fabric of our every day lives.