A little bit of everything…and catching up!

Lots of random pictures from the month of June.

All the boys looking and smiling at the camera!  OMG!

One of Luca’s first smiles! (6 1/2 weeks)

Sebastian had a great time at his preschool’s mini-summer camp.  He was all decked out for 4th of July on the last day.

I think this is the first picture I have of myself with my three guys.  Finally a decent shot!

My 2nd blue-eyed baby wearing his adorable monogramed romper from his cousin David.  Adorable!

Sebastian has been really into letters, and now thanks to Word World on PBS, spelling too.  The other day he called me over to show me he had spelled pizza, dog and then egg (he had to move the G since there was only one). I couldn’t believe it!  Now he is constantly spelling words from the show, asking me how to spell things and using phonics to figure it out.  Wow!

Not the best photo, but the boys are loving the new hammock from Lelo and Lita!

My newest dishwashing buddy.  Love my Baby K’Tan. =)  I don’t know how I would survive without my baby carrier collection!

Two of my most important health care partners!  My OB, Dr. Gomez and our Lactation Consultant and friend Gloria. =)

 

And two fun videos of my singing boys for you to watch.

 

The Last Space Shuttle Launch: STS 135

I grew up in Titusville. My dad worked for NASA. Most of my friend's dad’s worked for NASA. I watched the first launch when I was one. I watched launches from the river, from the beach, from my front yard, from my bedroom window. It was a normal part of my childhood. So this last launch was particularly special. Sebastian loves all things space and Paul had never seen a launch from Titusville so we decided to join the masses and make the trek out to watch Atlantis make history.

It was only a 30% chance for the launch, but we woke up and headed over anyways. I figured we’d get parking along some back roads in downtown. Yeah….everything was full. We had to pay to park in a big grassy lot about 2 blocks from my preschool when I was a kid, but it was a straight shot to Space View Park.

The boys had a ball running around and loved wearing those space suits. =)

As we made our way to the causeway, we saw lots of cars full of blankets and pillows, tents and this cool contraption. Our parking lot attendant/scalper told us that almost everything was packed by 7 am. Guess we were lucky to get a spot showing up at 9!

We had heard the bridge had closed to traffic about an hour earlier and this is what we saw…wow! It was insane. We heard that towards the other end of the bridge there was plenty of space so we plowed through with our massive double stroller to join the crowds. (Not my photo, BTW.)

We found ourselves a spot with plenty of room and settled down to some snacks, drinks and pretend play with our space shuttles and rockets. We met some of our neighbors, one of them driving through the night from Tennessee to get here to watch the launch. Thank goodness it was overcast until about 15 minutes before the launch or we would have melted!

We were somewhere around here…..

Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

About 10 minutes before launch we stood up and took our spots. Matteo really wanted to fall asleep, but we didn’t want him to miss it! Sebastian was super excited!

Ready for lift off!

The it goes! What a moment. There were tears…. It was short view, but won’t ever be forgotten.

Afterwards with the smoke plume. It was too difficult to get a picture of us with the shuttle in the background. Not enough hands or time to enjoy the moment too!

Space Shuttle Atlantis, picture from NASA.

The last Space Shuttle crew.

I am so proud that I was a part of the Space Shuttle era, proud that my Dad was a part of it, and honored that I had such special opportunities to be close to the shuttle. And I am blessed that my boys will have been a part of it too. Onward to (hopefully) bigger, better and more adventurous space exploration!

Boston–The Wedding

My cousin Jacqueline and her Dad coming down the aisle.  I didn’t get many pictures during the actual wedding only because it was difficult lighting and I was trying to make sure Luca stayed quiet!

This is what we all looked like after the wedding.  Bad picture, I know, but sadly after all the work of getting everyone dressed up, we didn’t get a single photo of all of us.  And all three boys fell asleep during the wedding. Ayyy…..

Jacqueline and Eriel’s first dance.

Titi Mayra with three of her four boys.  I love this.  She made sure to remind me that someday I’ll have a picture like this.  Yikes! =)  It certainly helps me *try* to enjoy each moment, even the difficult ones these days!

The Silva siblings.

Frankie, the oldest cousin with the newest cousin!

Carolyn, MY baby cousin with the newest baby.

Cousin Ricky who ADORES my boys with Luca.

One of the most treasured moments of the weekend – when we Skyped with Apapa in Puerto Rico.  He got to see Luca and be a part of the party.  They had also set up the webcam so he was able to see the entire wedding live in Puerto Rico.  Have to love technology sometimes!

There’s Apapa!!!! =)

Once the party was really going, we asked Sebastian if he wanted to come down to dance.  Even though it was really late, he was still up and wanted to come down to PARTY!

Luca’s first wedding!  With the bride and groom.  So glad we could be there to celebrate!

Congratulations, Jacqueline and Eriel!  We love you!

Trip to Boston

As some of you may know from the birth story, we were all anxious for Luca’s arrival so we could travel to Boston to a big family wedding.  We really didn’t want to miss it, yet we wanted to make sure Luca was at least a month old before we embarked on such a big trip.  He arrived just in the nick of time so we packed our (many) bags and off we went on our first trip as a family of 5.

There will be two posts – one of our travels and things we did while in Boston and another one about the wedding.  Too many pictures! =)

A few days before the trip I figured I’d better try on the boy's suits to make sure nothing needed to be hemmed or taken out.  We bought this suit for Sebastian to be in Uncle Corey and Aunt Sarah’s wedding in January.  I could not believe how much he has grown since then!  We had to take the hem down almost 2 inches!!  They were quite proud of how handsome they looked. =)

One good thing about the Orlando Airport is that there are lots of fun things for kids to do and see before going through security!

Monorail to our gate.

Very excited, waiting for the airplane and watching all the action.  They liked having their own backpacks with toys and snacks for the flight too.  It was a huge help that my parents were on the same flight too.  Also, we brought my MIL with us to help with the older boys during the wedding, so she was there as well.  So many adults sure made everything easier!

Luca was a champ the whole flight! Not a peep!

Sebastian had fun playing with Lita and Lelo on the way there.

Our fancy hotel had all sorts of summer perks – free ice cream, bike rentals and a boat cruise on the Charles River (you’ll see those photos in a bit!).  Sebastian couldn’t wait to go on a bike ride!

Summer in Boston was still pretty cool for us Floridians!

Luca got to meet his Titi Api Mayra. So sweet!

Even while on vacation, we must always follow our routine for bedtime.  =)

We all went on a boat tour of Boston the morning before the wedding.  It was grey and rainy, so it was a perfect way to see the city!

Matteo liked the boat so much it put him to sleep later on.

Little 5 week old Luca stayed warm and snuggled up with Mami.

Ran out for the quick “Boston Skyline” picture!

On Sunday we headed to Titi Arlyn and Tio Frasqui’s house for lunch and to spend the day.  When we moved one year ago they were started this courtyard project in their backyard and now it is done – and looks incredible!  So beautiful!

Jonathan, Arlene and David – it was so nice to spend some time with them again!

The Sunday after the wedding was our 7th wedding anniversary.  The boys (ahem, my Mama), surprised us with a cake. =)  We’ll probably go out on an anniversary date once Luca gets a little older.  Hopefully….

Exactly one year ago we were moving – leaving Boston to come back to Melbourne.  We took this picture of the boys that weekend….

And here they are, one year later!

Our flight left late on Monday afternoon, so we drove up to spend the day in Marblehead.  It was COLD!

All bundled up!  Glad I threw in a few hats, just in case!

With Nana who helped us so much during our weekend!

The boys had a good time.  It’s amazing how much bigger they both are compared to the last time we were in Marblehead.  You can see that post here.

The boys with Titi Arlyn and Tio Frasqui.

On the way back, Matteo sat with Daddy.  He was not all that impressed with flying…Sebastian on the other hand LOVES every second of it.

Lelo and Luca hung out for a while too.

It was a great flight back too!   What an adventure.  Wedding picture post coming next!