First Birthday Mustache Bash!

As promised, photo's from the BIG birthday bash!  As busy as I am, I planned this big party!  It was so much fun and turned out to be a success!  Enjoy the photo's!

props for the photo booth!

Fun stick on staches!

Goody bags!

Made by Grandma

Family photo!

Maximus

Lots of friends there to celebrate and be silly!

We sang Happy birthday TWICE!  They each get there moment!

Happy Birthday Rocco!!! xoxo

Happy BDAY Maximus!!! xoxo

Maximus loving the berries more than the cake!

Yummy carrot cake!! Rocco

My funny Aunt and uncle!!

Me and Oliver!!!

Daddy and Maximus!

Photo booth FUN!!!

Photo booth FUN!!!

Newborn through eleven months strung along the pool fence!

Rocco loving his day!!

Great grandma and Maximus!

Grandma Mommy and birthday bambini!!

Birthday photo's!!

Birthday carrot cakes made by Mommy sweetened with apple juice only!

Maximus enjoying his DAY!

Rocco

The table

Mommy and her two lil men!


It was such a special fun day!  Our home was full of our closest friends and family!  We are so blessed to have such a supportive loving group of people in our lives and more importantly, in our sons lives!  It is hard to believe our lil guys are already ONE!  Being a mother of twins has been such a wild ride, but one I am so grateful to be part of.  I'm just loving my boys !!!

**Update**
As for my mothers helper.  We had a big heart to heart talk her next working day.  We set boundaries and things seem to be going good... so far!  I am hopeful that we can work it out and still have a positive working relationship.  I am VERY glad I stood up to protect the relationship with my boys and ME... MOMMY!  Thanks for your support!! xoxo ~Sara

Mama Bear...

I am.  A Mama bear.  I admit to it.  Some people may think I'm "crazy mom," but you know what?  I don't care.  I absolutely LOVE my kids and would do anything to protect them.  I am a jealous mom too!  And do you know what?  I don't care either!  I am their mom.  No one else.  I will always be THEIR MOM.

Where is this coming from?  UGH.  What a day... It has actually been building from a few weeks or few incidences or comments which have built up and built up, where I have finally had to speak up.  I didn't want to seem "crazy" or like a "mama bear" or "jealous." But you know what?  I am.  I can admit it.  It IS who I am.

I hired a house keeper/mothers helper, "A,"  a couple months ago.  We definitely need help to care for this much larger house.  From the beginning, since I gave birth to my boys, I have NEVER wanted help with my babies.  However, if I am caring for my twins, I DO need help with laundry and cleaning.  Maybe someone to make a bottle every once in a while or to watch them if I need to run an errand or go to the gym... WHICH I ONLY DO WHILE THEY ARE NAPPING!  I like to be the one to put them down and be the one who they see when they wake up.  I do understand that sometimes that doesn't happen and they will wake up before I get home.  That's fine.

What has been bothering me...

1) When A, says, "how are MY babies doing?"

2) When A, suggests I make food a different way than what I am doing for my boys.
                                               
3) When A, says to Rocco, "A makes the BEST bottle EVER!" I overheard this one when I was upstairs changing Maximus's diaper.  I then told Maximus, "No, Mommy makes the best bottle ever!"
                                               
4) When A tries to step in and take one of my babies to change their diaper.
                                               
5) When Asteps in at any time I do not ask for help. UGH!

There are more, but this has been the past week.  Now, don't get me wrong, she is an amazing house keeper.

So, I had to get it off my chest.  I know she felt bad and I am sure meant no harm, but I cannot help how I feel.

Being a mother is MY job.  Being a helper is HER job.  It has been a slow process and she has slowly been trying to mother MY boys.  There is only room for ONE mother in this house.  That is ME.

Boundaries were crossed.  I did set this expectation in the beginning.  I feel bad that she is hurt, but I do not feel bad for being a Mama Bear.

P.S.  C and I had a fabulous Anniversary!  Thank you for all the wishes!  We stayed at the Ritz in Laguna and it was perfect!

                                 

Its our Anniversary Baby...

On this day, I thee wed!  Five years ago tonight (also on a Friday!) we said "I DO."  The best decision I ever made was to marry my husband.  I would do it all over again (IF included!) a thousand times over!  He has made me happier than I ever could imagine.  He is my best friend and  LOVE OF MY LIFE!  I am so so blessed to have him in my life.

Leaving the babies... Over night!

Yup!  I am officially going to take the plunge and leave the babies over night!  I haven't even left them for the day, let alone a WHOLE NIGHT!  Yikes!  Whats a mama to do? ha ha!

I have always said that by putting your husband first, you are putting your kids first too!  It was VERY hard the first six months to do this, when I had TWO babies glued to my breasts and had to also pump.  The romance was practically gone for a little bit there.  We would have date nights and unlike before where we would rush home to... I would have to rush home to PUMP!  Ya, no romance in that!  Now, it has gotten SO SO much better.

We have more time together.   Dinners are together as a family since the boys are eating table food now and only like to feed themselves. I feed them pretty much whatever we are eating.  They go down for the night at 7pm so we have the night to...  Its nice.  The romance is back!

Our FIVE year anniversary is on Friday this year which is also the day we got married on.  It is crazy to me because it has gone so fast! But we have decided to drive down the coast and splurge and stay at the Ritz in Laguna Beach (about a 20 min drive).  I am so unbelievably excited and READY for this. I am ready to have my husband all to myself.  I am ready for romance... wining, dining and  walks on the beach... just me and him! I know some of you are thinking "its about time," and I get that, but I have been crazy mom from the beginning and I wouldn't change that for a second.  I knew how fast the first year would go and I didn't want to miss a second of seeing these boys grow!  Now that they are ONE and becoming little boys, I think they are ready and so am I.

Truly... the look of LOVE!  And I love my husband more now!

One of our engagement photo's... taken five years ago!

Happy 1st Birthday ...

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby Boys (AUG 5, 2011)... Rocco Gianni born at 8:08PM weighing 5 lbs 7 oz and 18.5" long.  You are such a precious little boy, so sweet, loving, cuddly, intelligent, and so strong!  We are so blessed to have you in our lives and we love you so much!

Maximus Matteo born at 8:09PM weighing 3lbs 12oz and 17" long, our little peanut.  You are such a strong boy with a dynamic personality.  You love life and know what you want when you want it!  You are full of personality and love to laugh!  We are so happy to have you in our lives and  love you so much!

It is so unbelievable how fast they have grown and the year just flew by!  There has been so many great memories  made and am so happy that I have been documenting it all!  These boys light up my life and I honestly cannot imagine how I could have been happy without them.  

To my sweet baby boys... Mommy Loves you more than you can ever know!

We celebrated their birthday on August 5.  It was a huge success!  There was about 70 of our closest friends and family here to celebrate their birthday.  I don't have pictures yet but will soon!  It was such a blast and I can't wait to share!

Its hard to believe...

That one year ago I was pregnant, on bed rest, and anticipating the arrival of my sweet boys.  I knew it would be any time!  I was treasuring the kicks, punches, elbows and hiccups going on in my tummy.  I knew that this might be the only time I would experience it.  I knew that it was such a miracle that I was pregnant, especially with TWO babies!

I will never forget my experience to get to this point.  IF has changed the person who I am.  It has made me stronger, emotional, selfless, passionate, loving.... all things needed to be a good mother!  I AM GRATEFUL!  (If you are still going through IF, I know the battle, don't give up!)

Yams and blackbeans...

Things are definitely getting back to normal around here!  Rocco had come down with another fever last Wednesday of 102.7 (!!!) and we had to change his antibiotics.  I have also started him on some baby probiotics since he has been on antibiotics for weeks now.  Fortunately, they started working right away!  He is almost back to his old self again, with the exception of his appetite.  He is still not eating like he used to.  When he first had his surgery, he love the pacifier in his mouth I think because he didn't like to touch his tongue on the roof of his mouth.  Last week he had enough of it and decided he was done with the pacifier.  Maximus, on the other hand still likes his.  Both boys are still drinking the bottle.  I am waiting until their one year appointment before we think about weaning.  I did however  try to start switching over to Organic Cows milk.  Unfortunately, we got to three oz of cows and five oz of formula and they started rejecting it.  Any tips?

Here is one of their new favorite foods... Yam and Black Bean balls...

 Rocco testing out the new food

Maximus getting better at his pincer, however he still likes to grab fistfuls of food!

Maximus... YUM!

Rocco... he likes them too!

They LOVE them...

Recipe...

1 c. black beans (rinsed)
2 c. yams (about 2 yams baked)
2 garlic cloves sauteed in EVOO(optional)
1/2 onion sauteed in EVOO(optional)
2 TBL cilantro (optional)

Mix together, make into balls and broil for 8 min.  I froze the rest so they had an easy snack to eat or meal :)  I also used all of the ingredients except the cilantro only because I didn't have any.  I am making more today and will add it in for a new twist.