A Moment in Time

With our time in NC coming to an end, I spent most of the day reflecting on the past two months and what a fantastic vacation the boys and I have had. We've driven across the mid-west to the east coast, making stops in corn country Iowa, Indianapolis, Indiana and the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. We've taken trips to the beach, the zoo, Lazy 5 Ranch, various parks and the NC Aquarium. Weekend trips have been made to Raleigh and Charlotte, doing lots of shopping and watching some football! Great time has been spent with old friends and attending family gatherings. With one week to go, we still have a Day Out with Thomas at the train station, a Catawba football game and a night or two at the Rowan County Fair.

During this time, Cruz has cut four teeth, mastered sitting up, drinking from a bottle and then a sippy cup and was successfully weaned after 5 weeks! Zane's vocabulary has grown so much, he's begun potty training and is falling less and now running at full speed. As for me, I finally got some much-needed rest and "me" time, started eating healthier and spent lots of one-on-one time with my babies and my mom. Boy, we have been busy!!

I know I won't fully appreciate this time until it's all over and too late, but I'm so thankful for these memories and moments during such a stressful moment in our lives. I'm not happy for the root cause of this vacation (deployment), but I'm extremely happy that I've been able to come back to NC..my home. I think somewhere deep down, I didn't realize just how badly I missed being here. Above all else, I failed to realize how much I've missed my family. I have had the pleasure of watching my mom take on the grandmother role and I am reminded of just how much I loved spending time with my grandma when I was young. My boys have truely fallen in love with their "maw-maw" and it's comforting to know that they will have someone to turn to when they need that extra loving care or when they need a little spoiling! My mom has helped refocus my attention on the importance of enjoying the moment at hand, not to sweat the small stuff and that acting silly is the best medicine! I've sat in the familiar sights, sounds and smells of my own grandma's house and watched her play the piano with my two-year-old, just as she has done with me many years ago. I can't fully explain the feeling, but I thank God for showing me what an important time this is in my life.

For Any Parent Who's Unsure of Another Child...

Can I just say that the best part of being a mom at this moment in my life is watching the relationship between the boys grow and form. When I first discovered that I was giving birth to a second son, I mistakenly thought, "Really, how different can two boys be?" Boy, was I naive! Our Zane is such a sweet, tender-hearted, loving, easy-going, some-what shy kinda guy. He's rather independent, doesn't complain often (that's a big one since he's 2!) and is constantly talking! As Cruz gets older, I'm starting to see his little personality emerge more and more. He's proven so far to be completely different from his brother, 18 months his senior. He's been quite the mover since birth, very curious, wears his emotions visibly on his face. Always smiling, until he wants something. He doesn't hold back when he needs a diaper change, food or sleep. He also thrives on attention and requires lots of "Mommy Love" when he doesn't feel well. In thinking of the Nature vs. Nuture debate, it's amzing to me just how much nature manifests at such a young age.

I have to admit, I didn't think I was going to be able to love a second child as much as Zane, especially since it was going to be another boy. I thought the experiences would be identical to the first, but the wonderful excitement of "the firsts" wouldn't be there. Again, thankfully, I was seriously wrong! Because of their individualism and little personalities, I get to experience "firsts" with both boys and my love for my sweet baby boys grows stronger each day that I get to know them.

With that being said...I get to watch and experience the best part of being a parent: The strong bond between siblings, the brotherhood already forming between my young sons. Zane has already taken on the big brother role, watching over Cruz and making sure he's safe. A couple of months ago, he would wake me in the mornings with, "Hey Mommy! You wanna get up?" Lately, everyday begins with, "Where's my Cruzey? He wanna have breakfast!" Zane refers to Cruz as "HIS Cruzey" and often tells complete strangers about this while in line at the grocery store! Cruz is mesmerized by his older brother, watching his every move. If Zane's in the room, Mommy doesn't exist! He looks to him for comfort and entertainment and loves to laugh at his playful actions. Zane shares toys and books with Cruz and helps me put him to bed each night. His routine: sings our brush your teeth tune while I brush Cruz's teeth, comes with me to put Cruz into bed, kisses him goodnight, turns on the Sleep Sheep and pulls the musical doggy's string before saying "Love You" and walking out the door. When I put Zane in and out of the car before Cruz or get Zane in/out of the stroller first, he immediately reminds me to get 'his Cruzey" and motions for him. He willingly volunteers to help with Cruz and Cruz loves every minute.

Ever since Zane was born, I've always told him, "You're my bestest!" I still tell him this as part of the bedtime routine right after I kiss him good night. I've joked with Sean about how I won't be able to say this much longer, since I have Cruz now and I can't pick "a bestest!" One of the sweetest moments thus far as a parent happened this morning. Cruz was whimpering around 7 am due to more teething issues, so I took advantage of the snuggle time and layed him in bed with me. We were playing and laughing, when Zane came in and climbed in bed with us. I was showing them mini videos we've taken on my cell phone when Cruz started getting antsy and began to cry. Zane grabbed Cruz's hand and leaned his head towards his ear and whispered, "You're my bestest."

Zane and Cruz will never know anyone in this world longer than each other..they'll know their parents for half their life and their children for the other half. They'll always have each other, knowing the best and worst of their history, their dreams, hopes and fears...in this, I find the utmost comfort.

"Mommy, Emus Are Hungry!"

Mom and I took the boys to the Lazy 5 Ranch here in NC. Reminded me of Bear Country in Rapid City, except totally different animals AND you are allowed to feed these animals through your car windows. You can already imagine the excitement (chaos) of this adventure. The various animals, deer, goats, pigs, buffalo, llamas, ostriches, giraffes, zebras, camels just to name a few, were great and very curious and anxious to squeeze their heads into the feeding buckets. All was well, until we decided to feed the EMUS!!! Those crazy Emus were so aggressive and wouldn't take "No" for an answer. I can't fully describe the harsh, determined force of their pecking, but it was pretty funny and nerve-racking all at the same time. My mom was terrified and I had fun controlling the automatic windows and letting the Emus sneak up on her side of the car! Ha-Ha! She did not think that was very humorous. Needless to say, her loud, terrifying screams scared Zane and Cruz so badly they were crying for the next 10 minutes! Wish I would've had the video camera on this trip!

The sign right before you go in..Enter at your Own Risk!

Mom ready to feed some animals!

Emu ATTACK!! :)

Eye-balling the food bucket!

Zane has a nice, safe view!

The poor animals hardly had room to get their snack!





Some of my favorite shots..yes the tortoises were mating! Next time you ask your child, "What does the cow say?" Be sure to also ask what does a turtle sound like...it sounds like a goose!