Scenes From a Birthday Party.

Baby Gray,* successfully turned one on Monday, and to celebrate we had a small party to commemorate his first year. As a treat, Grandma flew in to town, and his favorite auntie was there, along with a few of the neighborhood kids. Gray opened a few gifts, destroyed a cupcake, and spent the better part of the hour trying to figure out why everyone kept singing to him, and taking his picture. In short, it was like any other first birthday. A few tears were shed (mostly by the LM when someone else attempted to blow out Gray's candles) and just like this first year, it was over in a blink of an eye. After Gray went to bed, the grownups stayed for our first barbecue, and we toasted to the little guy with the big smile. 

 
* Now that he's one, can I still refer to him as a baby? "Toddler Gray" just doesn't have the same ring to it... maybe when he's 30 he can stop being the baby? Maybe...

Baby Boy Is 1!!!!!!!

Happy happy birthday to the silliest/ smiliest/ LOUDEST/ sweetest/ craziest/ fattest/ cuddliest boy there ever was. You have brought so much joy into all of our lives, and it's amazing to think that there was a time when your toothy smile wasn't the first thing we saw every morning. This year has gone by in a blink of an eye, and I wish every day that there was a way to stop time, because I know that soon you are going to loose that baby fat, and the next thing I know you are probably going to be 5 going on 16... just like your big brother. I suppose that's okay too, just so long as you promise to still cuddle with your mommy, while sucking your thumb, saying "ma ma ma ma ma ma" all day long. Your family loves you more than you know, and we can't wait to see the little boy you are going to become over the next year.

We love you to pieces-

Nada Mucho.

  I wish I had more to report from down here (or "the face of the sun" as I now call it) but, heading in to week three of our vacation (or trip as I now call it, because really, entertaining two kids all day in the middle of the jungle is a little more work than it is relaxing) we have found ourselves in a pattern where every day is the same, and we have pretty much adjusted to the slow pace of life. Overall are having a great time. 

I can't say, though, that we haven't had our ups and downs. Gray is STILL working on those top two back molars (to match the bottom two that poked through at the beginning of our trip) and the pain + the lack of constant stimulation makes him a bit more crabby than usual. Sometimes a LOT more crabby than usual. Then there is the family time. Family time is awesome. I feel like in a few years we will look back on this time and be so grateful that we were all able to spend an entire month together, completely uninterrupted. No work, no T.V., no obligations... no distractions. It really has been a gift for all of us. That being said, a month is a LONG time to be with your family with no distractions. Seriously. My husband said to me the other night, that he's not sure if people were meant to spend this much time together. Especially people who know how to push every single button on each other. I call it Survivor, Family Edition. I'm pretty sure we will all make it home in one piece, but that's not to say it hasn't been touch and go here and there ;) Thursday, marks 3 weeks since we've been here, and I'm sure during our final days we will again be back in sync, reveling in the beauty of this country, and dreading life back in the city (which from what I've heard is also as hot as the face of the sun.)

I already know the things I am going to remember the most about this trip: Watching the LM pop up on his first wave. Biking down the beach with baby Gray holding on to the back of my shirt. Eating fresh mango's from the tree. Drinking beers with my sister, with our toes in the sand, watching the sun set. Playing Marco Polo with a kid who doesn't understand the concept of keeping his eyes closed in the water...or hiding. Huddling around the laptop, watching Breaking Bad,  (sooooo good) with my hubby and my sis, after the kids have gone to bed. The 10 minutes I spend curled up in Gray's pack and play, yesterday, right after he woke up from his nap. Everyone else had gone ahead to breakfast, and for a period of time I was able to just lay still, next to him, while he sucked his thumb. 

These are the moments that don't exist in our "real" lives. These are the things that get lost in the shuffle. These are the moments that I will remember 10 years from now, when I look at my teenagers and wonder where the time went.

At least this is what I keep telling myself, my mantra, especially on days when we are at each others throats. I'm pretty sure 5 people weren't ment to spend this much time alone together, but I feel very blessed that we were able to do so.