We Love You, Papa!

This is a precious video that I recorded of the boys wishing Papa Sam well while he was in the hospital. He saw it just before going in to have surgery the Friday before he passed and he was so appreciative of it. It was one of the last things to truly make him smile and I will treasure it forever! (The sound and the video are a little bit off from each other)

Sweet Papa Sam

I recently had to take a little break from my blog... On March 28th, our lives were turned upside down as Sam and I found ourselves unexpecteldy standing by his father's bedside offering our final goodbye's. I've attempted to return to my blog several times since then, but it has brought tears to my eyes every time, including now. "Papa Sam" was my biggest blog fan and it breaks my heart to know that he will never again read the words posted here, or that I won't receive another phone call from him commenting on one of my posts or asking when the next post will be added. I could almost guarantee that shortly after publishing any post, I would either receive a phone call or email from him telling me how much he loved reading about his "babies," Jaden and Elijah. He loved his family more than anything and always made that known to each one of us. Papa Sam and was just an incredible human being, often described by others as "larger than life." There is so much that I could say about him, as the memories are endless, but I just can't bring myself to put it into words yet. I miss him so much. For now, I thought I'd honor him and his memory by sharing some of our favorite photos of him.

Sam's family - celebrating Sam's birthday at Cook's in El Paso.

Me and Papa Sam

Papa Sam and his three sisters.

Papa Sam and Shirley - spring break trip to Las Vegas when Sam and I got engaged

Sam's mom and dad with us on our wedding day

One of my favorite pictures with one of my favorite people

Sam and his dad on our wedding day

Sam, his brother Bengy and nephew Ben, and Papa Sam - at our wedding

The whole Cordova clan

Sam and his dad - at a New Year's Eve party in El Paso

Proud grandpa, "Papa Sam" - the day Jaden was born

Papa Sam, Mom, Dad, Sam, Grandma O'Brien, Jaden, me, and Grandpa O'Brien - celebrating Grandma's birthday

Papa Sam admiring baby Jaden

A picture that we always laughed about - Jaden giving Papa Sam the "bird"

Precious picture of sleepy Jaden and sleepy Papa - when Jaden was a baby, my mom and dad and Sam's dad took turns taking care of Jaden each day when I had to start back to work. I came home one day to them both sleeping in the rocking chair by the window

Papa Sam and Jaden - helping Papa blow out his candle

Papa Sam and Jaden - talkin'

Grandpa O'Brien, John, Beto, Jason w/ Jaden, Sam, Bengy, Justin, Sammy w/Lance, Dad, and Papa Sam - Christmas 2007

Sam, Jaden, Papa Sam, and Bengy - at the wine festival

Papa Sam and Elijah - Christmas morning 2009

Papa Sam and Aubrey - Christmas morning 2009

Papa Sam and Elijah - at Elijah's first birthday party

Papa Sam, Sam, and Elijah - at the Space Museum in Alamogordo, NM

Papa Sam and Jaden - at the air show

Papa Sam, Bengy, Me, Elijah, Sam, and Jaden - Family Christmas photo

Papa Sam, Jaden and Elijah - visiting Papa Sam while he was at the rehab hospital in El Paso (one of the last times the boys got to see their beloved Papa)

Happy Birthday to An Amazing "Big" Boy!

On January 18, my sweet Jaden turned 4 years old! It was definitely BIG excitement for him, and something he has been looking forward to since January 18, 2010. Apparently when you turn 4, you officially achieve "big boy" status, so it was a day my little guy had been anxiously anticipating for exactly a year. And I'll be honest, it was a bittersweet day for me. It made me miss the days where I could just scoop him up and snuggle the heck out of him; the days where he would happily comply with anything I suggested; and the days that I was not yet thinking about the choices he will make with the pressures of being an adolescent. It also made me wonder why we are constantly subconsciously encouraging him to grow up so fast by talking to him about being a "big boy," behaving like a "big boy," and doing things that "big boys" do. And even though I wish he could just stay little (and often ask him if he will...he says nope), this day also made me so proud to reflect on the wonderful "big boy" that he is inevitably becoming. He is such a good-hearted, sweet-natured little ("big") guy who is so considerate of others. He loves his family more than anything and if we could have a family get-together everyday, he would be in seventh heaven. He's a ball of endless energy, always on the go and coming up with new games to play or jokes to tell; although he's shy (so he says) around new people. He's a little four-year-old attitude with an occasional case of selective-listening. He is so wise and thoughtful and I am constantly amazed at the things he comes up with. He's very inquisitive and is never short of curiosity and questions (and ironically, he knows the answers to everything, too!). And it makes my heart happy (and eyes teary) to think of what an amazing big brother he is. He would do absolutely anything for his Elijah, and Elijah loves him just as much. Jaden is such a blessing to our family and I am thankful for him every day. He has probably taught me way more than I have taught him. I am so thankful to be able to spend most of my day with him and Elijah (and am so appreciative to my hard-working husband who has given me the opportunity to spend this time with the boys each day). And as much as I would love to slow down the process, my little guy is growing up whether I'm ready to accept it or not. So as he grows, my wish is that he continues to love learning and reading; that he always treats people with love and respect; and that he never loses his joy for life.

Happy Birthday to our amazing "Big" Boy. We love you so much!

An Unexpected Water Day

Our day began with the boys going outside to "help" me to water the yard, which turned into a very enexpected water day -- in pajamas! And why not...that's the fun part about summer, right!

Jaden did everything he could to make sure the water from the sprinkler not only watered the yard, but that it also soaked every last square inch of his body, making sure not to leave a bit dry. He went back through several times, just to be sure that he wouldn't be dry any time soon. He had water sqishing out of the sides of his shoes, dripping off the ends of his eyelashes, and even coming out of his ears. I'm pretty sure we could have filled our swimming pool just by wringing out his clothes and dumping out his shoes. Elijah was content playing with the water in the water table, while watching his silly brother and contemplating whether that looked like more fun...

...and i guess it eventually did. Elijah decided to abandon the water table and got in on the sprinkler action. I think his main plan was getting to the watermelon, but he didn't mind getting soaked in the process. Much to his disappointment, the watermelon wouldn't come detached. And by wringing out the water from his soaked clothes, I'm pretty sure we would have been able to water the garden for a week.

Next was soaking wet car and bike riding, which would normally be a good way to dry off, but with the amount of water in these jammies, it didn't even turn them from soaked to damp.

And eventually, all of this water fun led to stripping down, leaving the wet clothes outside, and going inside for popsicles (because there's nothing a mother appreciates more than kids eating popsicles without their clothes on -- well, maybe a few things, but this is definitely up there on the list)!

One of the many joys of summer with two awesome little guys!