First Mother's Day

I had an absolutely wonderful first Mother's Day.  Liam started the day off right by only getting up once over night and then sleeping in until 7:15!  We got dressed and showered up and dressed which is quite the feat while managing a nearly 7 week old little boy, simply having 3 adults instead of 2 made it easier.  Just before leaving we opened presents.  Dominic and Liam got me diamond earrings that were beyond gorgeous.  I couldn't wait to get them on!  Best part of the day for sure.

Mary was down visiting and really enjoyed Mimi's Cafe when she was here for Easter so we made reservations for 9:15.  When we pulled in the place was PACKED.  I mean, if the fire marshall was there he probably would have closed the place down for having too many people blocking the entrance.  Thank goodness we made those reservations because the lady wasn't even quoting a time since the wait was so long!  About 15 minutes after our reservation time we were seated and drinking hot chocolates.  Unfortunately Liam got fussy just after arriving and wasn't even soothed by boobie!  We ate in shifts and still managed to have a good time before heading home.

The rest of the day was spent lounging around and getting some alone shopping time while Nana baby sat the bubba before leaving for the airport.  She really enjoyed getting to see how much Liam has grown and become much more interactive, those smiles certainly make your day brighter.  Here are a few shots from our trip on Saturday to Lodi, Liam tagged along making this his first wine tasting!

 

My two favorite men, the big man and the little man

The Garguile family visits

Tim, Mary, and Gina were down over mother's day, which also happens to be Gina's Birthday! We were so happy that Tim decided to make the trip and had a great time celebrating with everyone.

On Saturday we got up and went to San Francisco to check out the bay. The weather was great and made for some beautiful shots of the water and Golden Gate Bridge

We strolled around enjoying the atmosphere, check out the crab....if only they were easier to eat!

ate at a nice restaurant, Tarantino's, and enjoyed the view of the boats.

Before we headed home we did Lombard St., the crookedest street, and enjoyed the views of the gorgeous Victorian homes

On Sunday we celebrated mother's day with a big breakfast at home cooked by Dominic, then lounged around most of the playing XBox360 and shopping. We celebrated Gina's 13th Birthday with an early dinner of lemon chicken, again made by Dominic!
After dinner we sang happy birthday and Gina was FINALLY able to open those gifts! The guys had been giving her a hard time about 'peaking at them' all day...give her a break gentleman, it's her BIRTHDAY!!!! the big 1-3...she's finally a teenager!!!!!
and here is her blowing out the candles!!!! (please ignore the fact that it's sideways this is my first video post and I'm still learning)

We miss everyone already and can't wait until they come again. Hopefully Gina will even make a solo trip this summer!!!

Feeling lucky

I realize this post is a little premature but I had quite the epiphany in the car on the way back to work from lunch....We are complely Blessed to have amazing women in our lives! Mother's day is coming up quickly and I was out shopping for presents for the 3 mothers in our lives. To those of you saying "three?", I count my sister in there as well since she too is a mother. Let me start with her.

Cindy is an amazing mommy to our neice Hailee. She is managing to raise a smart, inquisitive, compassionate and funny little girl all while traversing one of the toughest paths one can take in life. We truely hope her recent engagement will make 2008 the best year of her life so far and that the road gets easier from here forward.

Dominic's mother Mary is the most fabulous mother-in-law anyone could ask for. She has raised the most amazing man I have ever met. He is compassionate and strong while managing to put up with me on a daily basis, how she managed to instill those qualities is beyond me but I will be forever greatful and hope I can do the same for my son one day. Mary is one of the busiest ladies I know and she still finds the time to connect with us down in Cali. She has treated me as her own and I couldn't be more thankful to be a part of their family now.

My mom, Brenda, has had one of the toughest years and is still in the middle of a battle with her health. She is staying strong and helping with a grandchild all while trying not to fall. Anyone else in her situation would have given up and she has done just the opposite. It's so difficult to continue to stay positive when life keeps knocking you over but she just gets back up and keeps going. I think this woman has been through more in the past year that any person should ever have to go through and I'm so proud of her for her strength. Sure, there have been tears and there will be more I'm sure but she will conquer this. On my way back from work I heard a new song on the radio and that is what sparked this post. The song is by Bucky Covington, an American Idol contestant from years past, and is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opys9ye0hm0 I won't tell you the name because it will give some of the emotion away.

A little irony now, I'm not exactly known for my love of music....By that I mean I don't follow music much. I have been known to burst into tears when the right song comes on the radio and that's exactly what happened with that song above. But my husband is always going, "what, you've never heard that song?" However, I do know the lyrics to a TON of music just NOT rock and roll because I wasn't raised on it.