Girl Outnumbered

Happy Birthday! I love you to the moon and back!

We have had a few days with perfect spring weather. A few days ago, the boys and headed outside to play for a while and of course snap a few shots for our theme this month.

Head on over to see Nicole’s take on interesting perspectives!

This year I’m joining a group of women that share a love for photography and are also Mothers to boys. Each month we will write a new letter to our sons along with photographs. Please follow along with me and the rest of these amazing ladies.

To My Sons,

Every day I see your love for each other grow. I truly enjoy when Diego comes from school and Dylan is happy to see you and showers you with hugs. It melts my heart when Big brothers talks talks about walking Little Brother to class every day once he starts kindergarten. As much as I hate to say this, it makes me smile when Diego helps Dylan climb the counter and sneak into the candy and snacks . I can only hope you will continue to be best of friends as you get older.

I understand that sometimes its not easy being big brother and/or little brother. Sometimes you might need space from each other, and sometimes you might not like each other. Most of the days the ongoing battle between you two for the upper hand is exhausting. The constant fighting and stealing of toys is frustrating. Still, at the end of day, you come together and every night and help each other pick up the mess. Give each other a hug and kiss before bed. Say I love you, then 5 minutes later one or both are fighting over one pillow.

. Remember you will only have one brother, and you will only have your one first best friend. Brothers stick together. I love you both to the moon and back, higher than stars in the sky!

Please visit Lara Growder’s blog to read the next letter!

Happy Birthday to my Boy!

This month the theme for our blog circle is food photography. I don’t normally photograph food so this was kind of fun for me. It was nice to step out of my comfort zone for this challenge. Don’t forget to head on over to Colie’s blog to see her take on this months challenge.

I decided to focus on Mexican food that we normally eat at our house. One day we went to a local Mexican grocery store. This grocery store mostly sales brands of food that you typically will find in Mexico. They also have a bakery with traditional Mexican sweet breads that I grew up eating. One of my favorite sweet breads is the “Maranitos”, or “little pig” shaped cookie. I have no idea what the ingredients are. I have never even questioned it before. I’m not sure if its pumpkin or gingerbread, but they are so good.

And of course churros. You can’t go wrong with that.

One day for lunch we had chorizo( mexican sausage) with diced potatoes, topped with queso fresco. I wont lie to you, those are store bought tortillas. The chorizo you find at other big chain grocery stores does not compare to what you find at the Mexican grocery store.

In a few days we will be celebrating Dylan’s 4th birthday. It’s such a bittersweet moment to watch your probably last baby growing up. It’s also with excitement that we watch him turn into this wonderful little boy. This month my letter is for my beautiful baby boy.

Dear Dylan,

Four years ago you came into our lives with a bang. You were determined to come into this world 7 weeks early. Fortunately we were able to hold off your arrival another week or so, long enough to make sure those little lungs of yours were ready.Then you had to stay in the hospital for a while under those pesky lights to keep you healthy. Those were the roughest weeks for me ever. Not being able to hold and snuggle you was the worst pain I had ever experienced. That little hiccup in the road seems so long ago, but I remember every detail of your tiny little body in your to big clothes, the sound of your mouse like cry, and your yellow skin like it was just yesterday. Here we are on the verge of your fourth birthday.You are a healthy, happy very big boy with no residual signs of your early arrival.

There are so many things that I can say that I love about you. You brighten up our gloomiest day with your wild, silly ways. You’re the sweetest, most loving boy, and at times very stubborn. I love your curly and frequently tangled hair. I can’t get enough of your lisp and the way you replace your letter R’s with a W when you speak. I love when I come home from work and you are genuinely happy to see me and greet me with a hug and kiss. I love how you love to sing and dance.

Mostly I just love you for making our family complete.For bringing us happiness and a joy that only a Mommy can understand. Happy Birthday Little Man. I love you to the moon and back!

Next in the circle is Michelle Mez | Michelle Mez Photography

For the challenge this month, I brought out my nifty fifty that has been collecting dust ever since I bought the Canon 5d Mk II. We have a love hate relationship right now, but I’m giving him another chance. I managed to convince the boys to let me snap some pictures of them. The only reason they obliged is because I let them stand on the coffee table for this little shoot.

Head on over to Julie Blum’s blog to see how she view close ups!

I recently joined a blog circle called “Letters to Our Sons'’ with a group of ladies from Clickin Moms. All of the lovely ladies from our group are mothers and we share a love for photography. Each month we will post a letter to our sons along with pictures. I’ am very excited for this opportunity. The whole reason why I started this blog was to document my every day with my sons and share their milestones with family and friends, but also to connect with other Mothers.

To My Precious Boys,

Over the course of the next year I will be writing you the most mushy love letters, that I ’am sure one day will embarrass you. What are Moms for right?  However, I also plan to write you letters of wisdom and advice that I hope that you can learn from and live by. I decided my first letter to you will not be about how much I love you both, or how much you have made me the happiest person in the world. I know I show you every day how true that is.  I wanted to to talk to you about something else that at your tender age of 3 and 5 you will not understand. Maybe when you are reading this as a teenager or as a parent yourself you will finally comprehend the magnitude of my love for you and the importance of this job we call  parenting.

When I was pregnant with my first born (Diego) I was mentally prepared to be the best Mom I could be. I wanted to be the Martha Stewart of all Moms. I had all these wonderful activities and ideas planned for when my little dude came into this world. I slowly learned that Motherhood is not as easy as it seems. Lack of sleep and baby blues were just things I didn’t imagine I would ever experience. There were and still are times that I have no idea what I’ am doing. From the time Diego had a major diaper spill in the car and I had no backup clothes in the diaper bag and so he rode naked until we reached Target.  Also,  the number of  times Dylan may have fallen out of my bed because I let him sleep with me. Oops!  I still question whether I’m making the right decisions. I wonder if you will forever be traumatized because I didn’t buy you that toy you cried for. I worry every day that I did not prepare Diego enough for his first year of school. Maybe I have should have done more, but at times I know I should have done less. I'm not the perfect Mom that I hoped to be, but I'am still a Mom that loves you dearly even though your baby books are not filled out with all your important milestones.

Over the years I have become much more relaxed. Gone are the days of strict schedules and routine. I try to be in the moment as much as possible.  Everyday I’ am learning to let you learn things on your own, instead of always cleaning up after you or fixing things for you and expecting you to be “perfect” I’ am human. I will make mistakes and so will you. Together we will learn and grow. Each morning we will get up and together tackle the day and do it all over again the next day.

I want you know that when I discipline you, I still love you. When I don’t buy you a toy,  I still love you. That when I make a mistake and lose you at the school carnival, I still love you. When I raise my voice, I still love you. When I ask you to make better choices, it’s because I love you and I know you both are great kids that are capable of more. Every thing that I do is out of love for you. When you are teenagers I will surely make you upset and you will think I don’t understand and you might not like me very much. I will still love you. That’s what Mothers are for.

As we always say just before we doze off at night, I love you both to the moon and back! Higher than the stars in the sky.

Next in the Circle is Michelle Mez | Michelle Mez Photography