We are all alive and well and happy to be home. It's definitely a much slower pace over here, but very needed in this little family of ours. Especially as we all try to get over our colds that we so lovingly shared with one another.

Oh....and guess who has been pacifier-free since I last posted about it? This chick!

the jersey shore and a sleeping baby

What better way to spend our last Saturday in New Jersey than by driving down to the shore. This was the first time we've gone as a family, and J's first real time on a beach. Our beach experience in England was too cold and too short to be called a real beach experience, I think. We didn't know how Pato would react to the sand, and we were pleasantly surprised when he dug right in. Sand is a food group, right? This boy ate a couple handfuls. Easy.

So sleepy but always so sweet.

S also loved playing in the sand. I tell ya, these kids really do have Jones blood running through their veins. I'm sure their Poppy will be so proud.

How cute are these two? She is the apple of his eye.

And how lucky am I to be their mama? The luckiest. Tell myself this every live-long day.

And one last note about this little love bug...

I've never been a rock-to-sleep mama, and normally I nurse J before bed and then tuck him in for the night. Because of our extra tiring day at the beach, he totally zonked out as I was feeding him. Instead of putting him right down, I thought to myself, "I'm going to hold you for as long as I please and watch you sleep." I loved watching him lay in my arms and feeling his body go limp. I loved watching his peaceful face because I know one day, he will lose his baby face and he will grow into a man. One day, he will be taller than me and won't want me doing his hair. He will probably get slightly annoyed when I call him thirteen times a day. (Who am I kidding? He. Will. Love. It.) But for now, he is my little baby and I will watch him sleep and I will go in his room and make sure his blanket covers his feet ('cause he's got Mama's feet, and mine are always cold.) 

It was almost cool enough for a hat today (!) so we pretended it was fall around these here parts. And boy did it make me happy.

Dinners don't normally look like this. But today, it was an "eat-your-carrots-out-in-the-driveway-while-it's-drizzling" type of day.

Other things to note...

As we said our nightly family prayer earlier this evening, we asked S to please fold her arms as we usually do. Right after she folded her arms, she bowed her head and began to whisper quietly. I'm pretty sure she was pretending to pray, and it was her first time doing so. My heart almost burst.

J has been using his walker for a bit now, but today he went all the way up and down the hall by himself. I need to figure out how to post a video up on here to share. I can tell that he so wants to ditch the walker but I think he's got a couple of months before he's ready.

Yesterday my mom took S to a toy store and told her she could choose any toy she wanted. All she wanted was a purple magnifying glass. (I think she thinks she's Dora the Explorer.) She goes around with her magnifying glass, bends down at something, and mutters, "Noooo. Oh noooo." Now, had that been me when I was little, I would've been ALL over the baby doll section. And the tea sets. I threw awe-some tea parties back in the day.

S has been doing a better job at sharing with baby brother. Today I asked her to share her magnifying glass with him and she threw it at him and ran away (it didn't hit him.) The same with the other half of the banana she wasn't going to finish (that did hit him.) That's progress, right?

Baby, you're bad news.

His "I'm-So-Excited-I-Can't-Do-Anything-But-Scream-Or-I'll-Explode" face.

Okay, no. This baby is not bad news. If anything, he is oozing good news. But, I can already tell he is going to get into loads of trouble.

I asked my mom to please watch the babes so I could take a quick fifteen minute nap in the other room. I very very rarely get naps, but for some reason, I woke up around 4am and couldn't go back to sleep. So around 3:00pm I thought I would vomit if I didn't get some sleep. Does anyone ever feel like throwing up from being so tired? Anyway, after my fifteen minutes were up, I walked up to my mom and the kids. She immediately looked at me with a guilty face and said, "Don't get mad!"

Me: Ummmmmmm.....don't get mad about what?

Mom: Just look at his tongue.

I pried his little mouth open and saw that his tongue was bright blue. Little man had discovered some old sour hard candy under the couch and thoroughly enjoyed himself. My mom found him sucking away on the candy with his entire face and shirt covered in blue drool. 

S hasn't even ever had candy yet. She would be SO jealous.

And speaking of S....

I sure hope she knows just how much she really is loved.

p.s: In case you were wondering, of COURSE I wasn't mad about the candy debacle. I thought it was hilarious.

Central Park

The weather was amazing today. I think I commented on the weather about 8.32 million times today. We knew we had to take advantage of it, and what better way than by wandering around Central Park.

My biggest request of the day: walk over to the Bethesda Fountain. Every time we go back to Central Park I am reminded of our wedding day and taking pictures there.

S had such a great time running around.

Really looking forward to coming back here in the fall.

My favorite temple.

And then we walked over to the Lincoln Center. The pacifier ring is all the rage.

*Oh, and hello 100th post!

Home is where the heart is.

How cliche does that sound? I had heard this saying countless of times before. I had seen it cross stitched on pillows and on anything else you could possibly cross stitch. And it's not like I thought it was false. I just didn't know how very true the saying was until these last few months. 

Before J was born, even before S was born, we knew there would come a time that we'd need to leave our home in Virginia for a bit for C to do his research for his dissertation. What we had originally thought would be a six month trip for our small family will have stretched to nine and a half months by the time we go home next week. 

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey. Thank you to those who have shared their food and home with us. Thank you for sharing your toys with my babies when their own familiar possessions were thousands of miles away. Thank you for reaching out and being our friends. Thank you, friends and family, for helping with one of my children when the other needed my attention. I can't thank you enough for that. Thank you all for keeping me sane and not judging me when I was at my wit's end. Thank you to all the new friends we have made and to old ones we have become even closer to. You have made what could have been a lonely trip not so lonely. I will never ever forget that. 

C- Love, thank you for doing what you do. I will follow you wherever you go. I can't wait to see the rest of everywhere with you.

S- Baby, thank you for learning to adapt. We took you away from all the things you were used to and comfortable with. You have had your hard times along the way, but, you have adapted beautifully. You are amazing.

J- There was one night where I felt so sad and guilty and that all you've ever known in your short life is going from one place to the next. You have had the very best attitude the entire time. If you could talk, I'm sure you'd say, "Okay, guys. Where to next?" Thank you for being you.

I can't believe it is almost over. I can't believe we actually did it. There have been times where I've seriously questioned, "Why on earth are we here?" But, as I look back at all our experiences I will remember all of them fondly. Would I do it all over again? Yes. In a heartbeat. And I hope we do. 

And now, things I've learned along the way: Buses-no. Trains-yes. Snacks- always. Sippy cup- never leave home without it. It's okay to depend on the kindness of strangers. Take every opportunity to see something new. Flats are your friend. Look around. 

Lastly, what's the most important thing I've learned? Whether it has been Stanley Drive, VA, Wyndham Lane, TX, North End Road, London, Ox Bow Lane, NJ, or any of the other places we've been along the way, home is where my family is. 

Take that cliche.

**On completely different note, I was in the car the other day and realized I have been pregnant and or nursing since December of 2010. Yeah. How bout that. 

Children's Museum of Manhattan

Dada is home and we only have a week before we head back to Williamsburg. We are trying to do as many fun things as we can before we head back to normalcy back home. I cannot believe we will finally stop being nomads and are actually going to be home. J has spent almost his entire life traveling. Sigh. So many thoughts about that. But that will be another post on another day. 

Anyway, today we went to the Children's Museum of Manhattan located in the UWS. It was so fun! I think it was four (maybe five?) floors of activities for kids of all ages. It's always great when I find a place where even S can be entertained. It was rainy today, and lots of New Yorkers seemed to have the same idea as us. But, even though it was crowded, it didn't feel cramped. On the way home, we passed by the Manhattan Temple, and we told the kids that that was where Mama and Dada got married. I'll always have a soft spot for this city.

S loved sliding down this "tongue" over and over again. After each ride down, she would climb up the stairs to the top while saying, "I can! I can! I can!" I was so proud of her. I love that she has that attitude. 

On the third floor there was this great area for babies. It had plush blocks and soft play equipment to climb on and through. J had no fear and climbed all over everything. Already he seems more daring than his sister was at that age. 

All the finger prints on the mirror? Yeah, that was J pulling himself up and walking along the mirror. I tell you. He thinks he can walk. And when he doesn't and falls he makes this face as if to say, "Why didn't that work?"

Both our kids love music and musical instruments, so this section was a huge hit. Latin music played in the background and the kids drummed along. 

I think I'll miss living close to a fast-paced city since that's all we've known since November of last year (Dallas, London, NYC) But, I won't lie...I sometimes do miss our slower-paced life in Williamsburg. After a certain amount of time, you just need your kids to have a home again.