Brothers!

Here they are!  The Brothers!  It is so much fun taking pictures of these two when they are both cooperating.  ie. Samuel isn't crying and Michael isn't saying "NO!".  The transition into brotherhood has come with more turbulence than was expected.  We knew Little Michael would have some challenges sharing attention, but we have found that this challenge runs deep!  Don't get me wrong, Michael is a great big brother!  And in all fairness, he is turning 3 soon which we have heard is the "New 2".  And we probably have said "Shhh!" and "Be Quiet!" and "Don't do that!" more in the last 6 weeks than in his entire "single child" life.  Basically we are all adjusting!  But overall Michael loves baby Samuel and tries hard to interact with him..... and contain his sometimes overpowering urge to squeeze his face....hard. 

For the record, Michael 2 years 10 months, Samuel 1 month.

My little gentleman...

I vividly remember the day I brought Little Michael home from the hospital.  It was so exciting and scary to think Michael and I were going to have to care for this precious baby all on our own!  Fast forward 3 years and I was filled with a new emotion....Pride.  I was so proud of Little Michael as he escorted me out of the hospital with his baby brother.  I knew we had some bumps ahead with introducing this new person to our family.  But when Little Michael insisted on walking me out, I knew everything would be ok!  I love you my little man....my little gentleman....

 

Welcome Samuel!

 We did it!!!  We had another baby and he is beautiful!  Here is Samuel Braddock Romero! 

Born on Easter, April 8th, 2012 @ 2:46pm.  6 lbs 9 oz, 19 1/2 inches.

 Yes, you may have noticed we are not in an operating room!  I was able to have a VBAC this time!  (If you don't know what that means...look it up)  I will tell me labor story later....

 Proud Papa of his second handsome son!

I'm not sure why this pic is so important to me, but it is!!!  Maybe because it captures the before and after, or because it captures a moment in time that describes the details of what has just occurred.  And what has just occurred is SOOOOO important!  And maybe because I glanced at this board repeatedly for 14 hours!  For some reason I get flooded with memories and a myriad of emotions when I see this picture.  Maybe its because I may never see a board like this again....

Happy Easter Eve...

 It's Easter time!  I love coloring Easter eggs and was anxious to share this experience with Little Michael!  On Saturday, the night before, we finally got around to dying eggs!  For some reason we had not accomplished it earlier!  It was a crazy evening that started with a neighborhood BBQ where we ate LOTS of food and the kids played like wild children all over the front yard!  We had a great time and realized at about 7:30pm that we had not dyed eggs. We rushed in the house, Skyped with my family, and then began the fun process of giving a toddler an egg and a bowl full of food coloring!  Yea!  I was a bit exhausted being that I was 39 weeks pregnant and having serious contractions which I now know is called labor!! But we had lots of fun and ended up with some beautiful bright Easter eggs!

 Sporting the 39 week belly!

 Michael's first batch of Easter eggs!  Good job little man!

 Ready for bed with eggs and basket out for the Easter Bunny! Also we left out carrots and water in case the Easter bunny needed a snack!  

But, the Easter Bunny went into labor and ended up here.....

Thank you Deanne and Mike Sr. for making sure Easter was a success!

Under Construction...

As you can see, our blog is under construction! I am not a very talented blogger, basically I only know how to add a post and some pictures :( And as many of you know, posts have become few and far between! So I will do my best to update our family news while I wait for my husband to add a cool header and show me how to be less boring in my format and layout. In the mean time here are some recent events worth noting:

1. I am 20 weeks pregnant (I know that's a biggy!)
2. We are having another boy! Samuel Braddock Romero
3. I am 11 working days away from being a stay at home mom! (another biggy!)
4. We won the lottery!

No just kidding on the last one! I felt like I needed a fourth item even though the first three are eventful enough. And in many ways we have won the lottery with a second baby coming, the opportunity for my to stay home with my boys, and being surrounded by the best family and friends one could wish for!
So keep an eye out for back-dated posts! Thank you for your loyalty in keeping us on your bloglist with so few posts these past 6 months...ok, this past year!
Amanda

The Best...

I know we have been awful about updating our Blog! I always plan to work on it and then opt for either sleep or mindless TV time. I honestly don't have the time, and have been feeling a bit more private lately. That said, I REALLY will update soon! But for now, here is a favorite pic of mine. We have been spending as much time in our busy schedules just being in love with our son. He makes us laugh every day! He is such an amazing joy! His personality is so full that we are shocked every day by his comments, sense of humor, talent, etc. He is truly the best! Here he is insisting on wearing a pair of pants that are too big! This was not a battle I really cared about, thus a great picture!

The Great Outdoors!

We went Camping!!

I say this in large text because as many of you know, I am not a camper!!! But, that doesn't mean I don't like a good challenge. So, when the Romeros (yes, all of the Michael Romero Sr. offspring) decided to go camping as a family, we were in!
I would like to take credit for the very awesome, roomy tent that we finally got to use! I bought this for Mike a few years back and it has been packed away the whole time. It sleeps like 8 people and has a special cove and outlet for a dog. Ok...I admit...the dog component sold me. And no, Chloe did not join us that weekend...as a matter of fact...where was chloe that weekend? Anyway, she survived and so did I.

I would like to also mention that I have gotten teased multiple times for buying such a large tent and I feel like it was the perfect amount of space! We have room to grow into it and you could easily separate smelly stuff from clean stuff.....a major priority for me when out of my element!

Here is little Michael looking about as thrilled with camping as I am! But really, he had a blast with his Nana, Grandpa Mike, and the rest of the family.

Now, this camper is a major factor in my willingness to go camping. We had running water and a potty that was not being used by everyone else on site.

Spending time with Nana

Going to the park with Jonathan, Aunt Katie, and Papa

Jonathan and Little Michael earning their keep...

Most of you know that Little Michael is one of MANY Romero grandsons. He loves all of his cousins, but I have noticed a particular kinship between him and his big cousin Anthony. It is always fun to watch them spend time together and bond.

I love the way they are looking at each other here! Buddies for life!

I can't believe you can almost see all the way to his shoulders beneath the car door!!! I love this pic!
I really was there!!!! I was a trooper, but did not desire to be in any of the pictures! Overall, we had a great time and I really look forward to our next camping experience. Preferably not in June heat and somewhere farther away than east county!