A Special Place

The last time I walked out of my grandparents house (my dad's parents) I certainly didn't expect it to be the last time I ever saw their house as I remember it. As most of you know my grandfather passed away a few days before we returned to the states and the funeral was the day we returned to America. Our flight was already booked and we weren't able to make it to the funeral so sometimes it feels a little surreal.

Since then my grandmother has not been able to return home due to some health concerns. In May she broke her hip and has now returned back to her apartment. She is one determined lady that is for sure and has really bounced back and worked hard at physical therapy.

Since she is not able to live alone the family decided that it was time to sell the house. My parents and aunts and uncles have been going through their things and preparing the house for auction. Everything is out of the house and there is now new carpeting and freshly painted walls. We stopped by this weekend to see the place one last time before it is auctioned off and it already looks so different.

It's crazy how a house can carry so many memories. I remember running around chasing my cousins in this house. How my grandpa would always ask me if I wanted juice and he would pour me a glass of orange juice whether I wanted one or not. After church I knew we would go to the kitchen and find my grandma making something and we would immediately go to the cookie jar for a sandwich cookie. I remember watching my dad and his brothers and sisters play cards at the kitchen table. A mix of Spanish and English was always spoken around that table. I have eaten my fair share of tamales and tacos around that table. A plate of food was always placed in front of you regardless if you were hungry.

I got to thinking how many of us toddled inside the walls of that small house. There are thousands of hours of memories found there and soon they will also include another family. Although it is sad to see it leave our family I am thankful to be a part of a family that loved each other and loved getting together. My life would have been very different without it. My heart will continue to grieve this loss but i rejoice in the fact that the memories don't go away with the sale of this house. They will always be treasured.

In the back of the house.

The living room.

I have gone in and out of this door so many times but it wasn't until this trip that I noticed the T on the door.

I will always picture my grandpa standing in the kitchen as we came in the house and being surprised that we were there.

Mobile Boy

Calvin started crawling today!!! He still needs a little bit of practice but he is officially mobile (when he wants to be)! He has been pulling up and cruising around furniture for a while now and I think he still prefers standing and walking to crawling, but maybe that will change as he gets better at it. He is getting better at pulling to a stand and can make it from laying down to standing up all on his own. I went to get him from nap today and he was standing in his crib. Our little baby is becoming a little boy so quickly. Now he needs to work on a few teeth, in the meantime I will enjoy his toothless grin while he still has it.

He loves these teething biscuits and so do I. If I need an extra 10-15 minutes before dinner these do the trick and I have a few more minutes to get dinner finished.

Calvin used to stick to the bottom shelf but he has officially moved up and can now take everything off of the top shelf too.

4th of July Fun

We had a great 4th. It was so fun to be able to be a part of our family's 4th of July time this year. We were pretty shocked about coming back when we did, but there have been so many fun things that we have been able to be a part of since we came back to the states. 4th of July at my grandparents is something that I can remember doing most years growing up. I have lots of memories watching my brother throw fireworks in the pond, lighting snakes on the front stoop and of course throwing pops on the ground.

This year everyone except my sister made it. We had a good time and of course good food. The boys did a good job giving us a nice firework display. Calvin was sound asleep and didn't even notice a single one of them, so we got to enjoy them as well. I was a bit nervous because loud noises scare him easily.

The next day the girls and Calvin met up at the lake and we enjoyed a breezy day by the water. It was a great time of relaxing and of course Calvin loved the water. He wasn't so crazy about his life jacket but once we got into the water he was splashing and kicking his little heart out.

Here are a few pictures of the festivities:

Calvin loved the dog.

A friendly volleyball game

Calvin will pull up on anyone and anything. He seized the opportunity when his cousin came to play with him. She had no idea what he planned to do.

Posing with the cousins.

Sparklers always conclude our 4th of July fireworks.

This is Calvin's toy of choice. I don't know what is so special about a package of wipes, but he loves them.

My marshmallow baby.

Let's Play Ball

He loves balls already. I love watching him laugh when he plays ball with his Daddy.

Good Times

We had such a great weekend with Marvin's side of the family. It's a rare occasion that all of his brothers are in the same place at the same time. We had a good time celebrating his parent's 40th anniversary as well as catching up with everyone and Calvin had fun watching his cousins. It was fun watching how he did around his two younger cousins who always want to play with him. It gave me a glimpse into how he might act around a sibling one day. He acted like it was normal when they tried to pick him up and they would both topple over, he didn't even fuss.

Like always there were lots of laughs and great food. I am always tempted to eat too many sweets when we visit his family, they are delicious but not so great for getting in shape. I usually only keep ice cream in our house because I know I won't eat it, so when there are other things available they are just too irresistible. I guess I need to work on the self-control.

The weekend was great except for the fact that Marvin got sick Saturday evening but by Sunday morning he felt fine. That's the first time Marvin's been sick since we've been married, and he can't even remember the last time he was sick like that. What a lucky guy.

We also were able to stop through Manhattan on the way up and see some dear friends. It was fun catching up with everyone. We wish we lived closer. It seems like the trip takes such a long time, especially with a little boy who needs lots of wiggle time.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Calvin's first Baseball game:

We stopped to see Uncle Aaron Sunday, it was WAY past Calvin's bedtime and he had already fallen asleep in the car but he was such a trooper to be woken up just so we could grab some ice cream with Aaron.

It was only a few months ago Calvin was the size of his new little friend. My little baby is growing up too fast.