Category: <span>Moments</span>
‘Tis the [family birthdays celebration] season for us. Evan, Sophia and I made the first of a few journeys up north to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and our little cousin’s 3rd birthday. The birthday was on my side of the family, but we stayed with my in-laws as they live closer to my cousins than my parents do. We were looking forward to seeing Evan’s family and especially his grandmothers for whom a trip to Maryland is not as easy anymore.
This picture was tough to pass up as a moment and you can see why… my heart melts at the attention and amount of time my father (and mother)-in-law spend with Sophia. There is also more significance here — I don’t do sandb0xes. Sophia has never played in a sandbox. She has played in the sand at the beach … you know … where sand belongs. That said, another first for her and another first with my in-laws. I am grateful they provided Sophia with the experience and let me keep my hands sand-free.
This moment was late, but some moments are worth waiting for. That’s three generations of our family. I may not say it… and it isn’t consciously planned, but the moments I share, the ones I select, are always earned. We have a big family, and eventually, everyone will make it into our moments … it is just that spending more moments with Sophia, begets more moments pictures.
I couldn’t be more excited to get to the party. We missed two summer birthdays already because we were away and I hadn’t seen my cousins’ children for about 6 months. Children grow up fast and I don’t want to miss a beat. Evan and I also want Sophia to grow up with her cousins — that’s very important to us.
There are more pictures… the ones below are taken by my sister-in-law — she spent a lot of time with her niece and showed her best side.
Sophia is going to be turning the big TWO. I can’t really believe it and even though I’d like to say I am not ready for her to continue growing up, I really am. I hope that being two means better sleep. Believe it or not, she still doesn’t sleep the night and despite this being our reality, we are still never going to be able to get used to it.
My lamenting aside, I started to plan the celebration today. We spoke to Sophia about what kind of a party she wants; She said “orange butterflies”. Before placing the order for the invitations, we had to commit to a time, date and most importantly the location. Our choice has been made and the decision is final — we will celebrate Sophia’s birthday at our house in Maryland. Now I know this is not the most convenient location for our families, but we made this choice for many good reasons.
You see, despite having a great love for Philadelphia and wanting to move back the second we get an opportunity, we do live in Maryland and have decided that rather than wait and hope, we will continue establishing our life here. We have friends here, Sophia has friends here. Our parents are willing and able to come and visit and celebrate here and so are our siblings. In fact we are feeling very loved and are not short on the invitation list. Many of our friends with little kids (1-4 yrs old) have already committed to making the trip down south from Philadelphia, its northern suburbs and even New Jersey.
We are not unrealistic and realize that this is not an easy trip to make and this is why those who do make it with kids — their attendance is that much more special. Everyone’s time is precious as is your sanity and believe me, I know what it is like to drive a few hrs each way in a car with a toddler who is not a fan of driving. Sophia still gets motion sick, still doesn’t like the drive further than 10 minutes and still does not sleep well in her carseat. Evan and I are going to be keenly aware of the burden of commuting to a family gathering almost every weekend in September. Our family managed to have back-to-back birthdays for most of September and October. While I may shutter at the thought of packing up a suitcase each and every weekend for a drive north, I realize how fortunate we are to have so many cousins and aunts and uncles to celebrate with — it is a small price to pay to have a close-knit family.
Oh, and last, not least and perhaps not very related… look, look. We are in a new age… an age of “I do it” and the “no help” which of course goes along with “no kisses”.
Life and everything about it is just a matter of perspective. Who says you can’t wear your left shoe on your right foot?!
I’m sentimental… and these make me smile. Not just because of the babe, but because this is my husband’s train table … the very one he played with when he was a young child.
I don’t mind that it shows a little bit of ware. It is just further evidence of countless hours spent by him and other kids in our family.
