weekend report

friday night featured a seester-cousin-baby slumber party! it was wild and included a ravioli dinner, a little box of hair color, a sundae bar and lots of play time. we even got crazy and stayed up until 1:30!

i spent saturday with these two little darlings and i have but one measly picture to show for it. i put all my energy into just soaking up the moment with these wee little babes. and their mother. and their father. and their big brother. while finn spent the afternoon with oma and grandma great, my day included lots of cuddling and staring and admiring, with a starbucks run with ever capped off with a snail hunt. i could have stayed all week.

we hit up casa de awesome for a lovely saturday night. mom said it was nothing special but i begged to differ. a little grass time, a walk, and then bbq'd tri tip with artichokes, portabellas, brussel sprouts, salad and spuds. it really felt like a spring festival.

sunday funday was back in sacramento and found us celebrating with the trampetti's. finn was in heaven: a buddy to play with and a room full of new and exciting toys - it was like disneyland!

we set off for an adventure and walked to selland's for an early supper. we made a mess, clinked glasses, shushed squawking boys and loved every minute.

we ended the day with a little park visit. could these little profiles be any sweeter?

quite obviously, a full and happy weekend.

easter

we spent the week before easter celebrating all things spring...

we finally tried finn's ducky bath tub...i had high hopes, but he was a little wary. we will try again next month :)

of course, we had to go shopping for a new easter shirt...

finn did NOT like trying on said new shirt. ha!

we made cookies with icing...

and we enjoyed the sun.

the weekend came and it was party time!

the kelly family easter was all kinds of fun...

this boy was a little dream baby...and was pretty entertaining.

easter morning! would you believe that my grandma made those pajamas?

finn found his easter basket! i had so much fun helping the easter bunny stuff finn's basket...he got a ball, a book, new pajamas and a toy car! although the grass was finn's favorite :)

we ventured to napa to the cabral family easter party! logan and finn were so happy to be reunited...

the afternoon found us at my grandma's and finn had a costume change. he wore an outfit that emily wore as a baby. talk about special! and i felt compelled to take a bajillion pictures .i just couldn't resist that little-blue-bunny-first-easter face...

finn was spoiled with some darling little gifts...including slippers with rattling elephants on the toes!

finn loved the ribbon.

behold, finn's new move: he sinks his head into this shoulders, shoots out his arms, squints his eyes, smiles from ear to ear, scrunches his nose, breathes real hard and shakes with excitement. it is the cutest thing we have ever seen. and we laugh every time.

this boy added such joy to our easter. but the best part, was watching our families shower him with love and affection. there really is nothing like watching finn be adored by so many. it just makes me all warm inside. who knew that having a baby would give introduce me to a physical sensation that is both new and unparallelled? i swear, at least once a week, while admiring finn or holding him, i get this feeling that i have never felt before; almost like my heart swells in one quick beat, sending out a surge of adrenaline. it always surprises me and usually forces me to take a deep breath as i get a bit misty around the eyes.

he is such a lucky little bunny, this boy of ours.

twins

would you believe that this beauty was pregnant with twins?!


well, its true....at least it was...


we got the call at 5:00 a.m. on sunday, april 1 - erika's water had broken and it was no joke!


i passed through that door to find two of the sweetest little babes i have ever laid eyes on.


and it all came flooding back to me... how that hospital room came to feel like home. how i felt like the world should stop because my baby was born. how miraculous it all seemed. i suppose newborn babies and hospital rooms will never be the same now that i have been through it. so i marveled just a bit more...


what a proud papa. watching serf hold both the babies was so tender. he equally alternated his gaze between each baby so as to make sure they knew they were equally loved.



and this mama. i love the way she mothers. she is what you call "a natural". and i am so in awe and am so proud of her... it's hard to believe that we used to be eighth graders who stuffed pillows in our shirts, pretending we were pregnant. we poured over baby name books and talked about babies and motherhood incessantly. it drove poor trevor mad. and now its real. wow.


friends, please meet willow jane...




and her brother, solomon paul...






sigh...it was so heavenly to meet these two little ones so fresh and new. i can remember meeting their big brother, ever, for the first time and melting at the sight of his little furrowed brow and his skinny little legs, and i know i will never forget this day and willow and solomon's tiny little everythings. i already love them so.

happy, happy newbornhood erika and serf and ever! we share every little, baby bit of your joy...

30

to be quite honest, i have waited my whole life to be 30. i just always knew that it would be the decade of my life where i finally felt like i truly belonged. my twenties were fun, just enough wild, just enough torment, but thirty...just seemed so settled. and that is actually what i have always wanted. boring and ordinary yet utterly delightful? yes please.



the only moment where i felt a twinge of sadness to be turning thirty, was on march 12th at 11:50 p.m., the last few moments before my birthday officially arrived. ryan and i were just about to drift off and i realized with a shock that once i fell asleep, i was closing the door to my twenties forever. it felt so final. and those were some good years. real good years.



in those years, i finally became confident and assured. i learned to cook things other than pasta. i made new friends and relished in the old ones. i realized that there is no place better than home. i found that when i am due for a change in scenery, napa, the beach, yosemite and disneyland will all feed my soul. i stopped feeling the need to apologize for who i am. i discovered that sisters are like secret, golden treasures. i learned that a good walk will make you feel a lot better. i learned that it's best not to try to fool yourself. i discovered red wine and digital cameras. i found out what incredible parents i have and accepted, finally, that they are always right. i learned that you can't ignore jury summons and taxes. i discovered that it is wise to check your pockets before doing laundry. i learned that holding a grudge is exhausting. i learned to pay to attention to what is important and ignore the rest. i lived on the belief that creating a good moment or memory is worth whatever it costs. i became a bit more hopeful. i became a lot more grateful. and lastly, in those years, i fell in love. and became a wife and a mother. the two things i am most proud of.



it's been a good decade.



but something tells me this next one, is poised to be great. grand, even. i still have so much to do. so much to figure out. and still, its all right in front of me.



so i celebrated.

girls' lunch with our baby boys. it was delicious and fun and different than any other birthday lunch we have done before: this time we had two babes in high chairs. nuts.

the parentals and sisters helped me celebrate with a little dinner at casa de awesome. daddy's tri tip, strawberry shortcake, mama's salad and garlic bread - all of my favorites. and of course, mama decorated. she always gets daffodils for my birthday...i love that.

special, like REALLY special wine and party hats for all. and i get really excited for gifts like gravy boats. how did she know i needed one?

sister cousin lunch at my favorite: taqueria. mmmmmmmmmm.

a dinner party at the in-laws! pops' porterhouse steaks, more special wine and CUPCAKES galore! it was such a fun night... especially loved my birthday balloon :)

my actual birthday was pretty dreamy. me and finn. i read each one of the thirty things my parents love about me. i think i was supposed to read one every once in awhile. but i couldn't resist. who could!?

finn made me a cake. the frosting was delicious, the cake....not so much.

it was a pretty cake, but i think he over cooked it. it tasted like well-done cornbread. oh well, its the thought that counts.

it rained on my birthday! how did i get so lucky? we spent a lot of time watching it.

around twelve, there was a knock on the door. i found a little lady and this beautiful bouquet, sent from my mister.

finn and i hit up target. i don't need to explain how fun that is for me.

ryan got home early and gave me this little gem. it says "amour". swooooooon.

and then......DATE NIGHT! tante rachel came to sit and ryan took me out on our first date since finn was born. it was thrilling. and slow. i love slow dining. and the lemon drop tasted as good as it looks.

we went to scott's on the river. and we savored every minute. we enjoyed calamari, salad, soup, fish, cioppino, a glass of rombauer chard (!), and dessert.... it was like heaven.

ryan told me to blow out my candle and make a wish...

but what he didn't realize is that i already have everything i have ever wanted.