What a wonderful world!! WOW! So much has happened... so many milestones, life events and realizations. Here are the boys and "little lady". My babies are all getting sooo big!! Armando just turned 7 on April 19th (will post b-day pics at a later time), Emilia is officially 6 weeks old today and Giovanni is well....Giovanni.. my "funny man" (just check out his "cheesy" smile here! :):) )

Spring has officially sprung and cabin fever has become a distant memory to the two active lil boys in our house. They are soo busy playing baseball, soccer, chasing butterflies and searching under rocks for all the creepy crawlies that their brain has went straight to "summer play mode"! They are not letting any grass grow under their feet, that is for sure! And watching them play and giggle made me realize that life is beautiful and oh...sooo short....

I remember my childhood, at their age, doing the same things... our favorite night activity was taking baseball bats and chasing the lightning bugs and whacking them then collecting them in jars that we called "nightlights". I know.... violent, cruel to animals and frankly just plain sick behaviour, but back then, we didn't realize what we were doing. We were having fun w/o causing a ruckus. My god-brothers (who were my neighbors) used to smear the "glowing stuff" on their face and chase me while threatening to make me all aglow. I can still hear myself screaming!!! I remember the smell of the bay in the evening. Our daily swimming rituals, the innertube games..king of the mountain, tag, bet you can't flip me!!

My fondest memories and the best of all.... the mud fights... our moms used to get sooo mad... but I remember the fun, the squishiness of it. I remember my mom always saying... "Kristina Marie... I will NEVER get those clothes clean!"..... I find myself saying that to my two adventure seeking boys. I truly have become my mother and I can honestly say... that is the best part of me. If someone tells me..."Your just like your mother!"... I feel honored.

And then... life goes on.. summer turns into fall, fall into winter, winter into spring, and spring into summer...next thing you know.. your a year older. Soon, chasing bugs and having mud fights got left behind in my childhood. Ring around the rosie got replaced with Heart, the Grateful Dead, Melanie, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez and Jefferson Airplane. And now.. at 33 I am wondering where the time went.

Tearfully I look back on those times.. but happy tears...and I am determined to allow my children to grow old slowly..to have those mud fights, to create slip and slides out of the grass and dirt in the back yard and create a huge 100 ft grass baren spot, to chase bugs. Just on Easter..Armando comes in with his butterfly net and says..."Look mom, a dead mouse".. I left my heart on the floor and gently guided him back outside and threw the whole mess into the garbage. Then we went inside for a hand cleanin never to be forgotten!! But how funny.... I will never forget that moment (and neither will our guests!) and that will always be cherished in my heart. For that will always be remembered by him just as my "lightning bug ventures" will be remembered by me.

My beautiful babes, please live life to the fullest... take life by the horns and never be afraid.... always stop to smell the flowers, take off your shoes and feel the earth beneath your feet, never forget that each day is a blessing and always stop... look up and give thanks.