Big Boy

These pictures scream BIG BOY to me.

Things this big boy does that make me smile big.

1. As I am getting him dressed after a bath and he is laying on the changing table, tells me to "be sad." I then give a big sigh and a frown. Rocco then says "give me Love" as he brings me in for a hug and opens his neck for a kiss. I then go in for the kiss but it ends in a zerbert. We do this a couple of times and I just love how he tells me to give him love.

2. I love the spontaneous "I'm Happy!" As we ride our bikes down the court, Rocco turns to me and says, "I'm Happy Mom." I tell him that I am happy that he is happy. The mornings when we lay in bed talking and then finally get up to feed the animals and Rocco tells me "I'm Happy."

3. When we play swords, he goes it to get me and I say "no Rocco don't get me" and he stops playing and says, "It's ok Mom, I won't get you." And when he does get me and I pretend to be hit, he makes sure I am ok.

I Can Sing Anywhere

I was in the bathroom getting ready and was just about to change the empty toilet paper roll. Rocco came in and asked if he could help. So I let him unwrap the roll and gave him the rod to put in the middle of the roll. I walked in the bedroom to finish getting ready and in comes Rocco singing with his new microphone. Gosh I love this boy. What a wonderful way to start the day. Really, does it get any sweeter than this?

Twinkle Twinkle is a little soft, but I love the little move Rocco makes at the end. Feel the music!

Milazzo's At The Beach

We took Grandpa John to the beach with us for his birthday last week. It has been years since John put his feet in the sand. Jared was looking forward to bring his pole to do some fishing. As we drove out of the driveway, Rocco asked where his pole was. Jared said, the ocean is to big for your pole (his new birthday pole). As I jumped out of the car to close the gate, I grabbed Rocco's pole that used to be his Great Papa's pole. Boy was I glad I grabbed it.

Rocco wanted to be just like Dad and fish the shore. Well actually he is just holding his pole since there is no reel on it, but he doesn't know that. To Rocco at that moment, he is fishing with Dad and he couldn't be more happier.

Family Bike Ride

I love love love going on bike rides with the family. I love watching Rocco learn new things like holding both feet out and balancing on his bike. Or watching his little legs push himself around the block. I like to see people move. It makes me smile when we are at the park and I see lots of families outside being active. We just started swimming again last Saturday. I signed up Rocco for the next 6 Saturdays. I like to do this right before summer to get him ready for all things water.


Rocco has done really well with the push bike. He was around 18-20 months old when we first put him on it and he loved it from the start. I think the transition to a peddle bike will be easy since he is already used to using his feet to support him and having them on the ground and his sense of balance and quick whit of falling has seem to come quite naturally. He has actually only taken 3 falls on the bike. Each time he lets the bike go and goes down pretty lightly. One was going down a curb, one he wasn't watching where he was going and went off into the dirt and the third was the first time he tried to put up both feet while going over water. He just didn't have enough speed to make it. We brush off the fall and get back on the bike.

Expressions

Photo shoot April 29, 2011

2 Years and 3 Moths Old

Squeky Beautiful

Part of our night time routine is having a bath after dinner. Rocco has always enjoyed taking a bath and as you all know, I enjoy taking pictures of Rocco. I like to do "photo shoots" with a series of the same style with different expressions. I love Rocco's smile but I also find beauty in Rocco's serious side.

In many pictures Rocco has a very serious look. If you didn't know him, you might think he was not having fun. But really he is just observing, taking it all in and capturing it. He has a wonderful memory and calls the little details. Like the cat's name at the book store that we visited once and again 4 months later - "the cat's name is Bob."

Easter Goodies

Wow, so many to choose from and I can't narrow them down, so here is a basket full of my favorites. From dying easter eggs, to a practice run in the yard before easter and the beautiful Sunday in Capitola with family.

Special thanks to Charlie and Terry for having us over. We had a wonderful day and enjoyed spending Easter with you and your family. Your yard is so inspiring, beautiful and bountiful. I took home with me some tingling feelings that I will turn into dirty hands and happy plants.

Picture Notes:

1-4 Dying Easter eggs

5 Practice Easter egg hunt

6-7 Rocco and River enjoying Easter together

8 Mommy directing a picture that ended up with sun in Rocco's eyes

9 Mimi and Rocco

10 Pop eating with Rocco at the kid table