its been some time,

so...its been quite a while since i last sat down to write and i have to be honest i missed it, sometimes when i write i feel like a weight is being lifted because i am getting to talk about things that have been on my mind, which for everyone is always a relief, no matter what the topic...
so this summer flew by, i was over excited this particular summer because my brother and my sister in law were having a baby boy, and that is always very emotional and exciting so all we did was wait for the good news that our family was blessed with a beautiful healthy boy who came into this world to make my family smile, his parents named him Parker Jason and i couldnt think of a better name for my first nephew. after about 2 months my brother and his newly additioned family came to nj for a visit and we got to hold Parker and spend quality time and be so grateful for the addition to the DeMuro family. gianna and rocco are now cousins finally, once they got their hands on parker, all bets were off, they love their first cousin so much and i love my nephew more than words can say! rich and lyn are great parents, such naturals and so lucky to have this brand new healthy being in their lives. parker is the most adorable baby ever and i wish them all the best.
rocco turned 5 this spring and grew up right before my eyes, i looked at him and realized he certanily isnt a baby anymore, but that certanily doesnt stop me from "babying" him, i never understood the power of loving a child until i had my own, i never thought that the look on roccos face when he first wakes up in the morning would be a look that i would love to bottle up in a mason jar and just keep it on my mantel forever, some things in life are just so worth living, especially the simple things, like roccos morning hugs and how he is so warm and always wanting to do things for others, or the incredible voice that comes from him and the laugh that makes me want to just squeeze and squeeze, but i know he is growing up and with that comes ice skates, a full body protective suit and a helmet oh and a hockey stick, yes rocco little rocco plays ice hockey and does a heck of a job. he practices 2 times a week and never hesitates and loves getting out there and skating to his hearts desire and playing like hes wayne gretzski, but maybe one day he will be, rocco is so talented at everything he does, he is a perfect little boy, and i understand that perfect doesnt really exis,t but to me, just the happy, caring, big hearted loving boy that he is...well that is perfection, and well kids say the darndest things, its true, i call them "rocco-isms" its when rocco is telling you something and it is absolutely knee slapping hilarious either because he hasnt said it right, or he repeats something in his own language that just blows you away, sometimes theyre really funny, sometimes theyre sweet and sometimes theyre caring, my favorite one thus far" i know what im going to get pop richie for christmas, a toy car"
god i love this boy...big heart, big mind, big love.
gianna gianna bo banna banana nanna fo fanna gianna! this summer g turned 8 and started 3rd grade, 8??!! didnt i just pottytrain her!!! well miss gianna how do i say this, she is a perfectionist, she is mature beyond her years, she is a old soul, she sees things not quite like the rest of the kids, she doesnt things for people that most people dont do in a lifetime,shes an incredible girl, and i honest to goodness can not believe she is all mine. gianna started competition cheerleading this year and it really does take up most of her time. she practics, she taught herself to do all sorts of kartwheels and handstands and she seems to be very flexible, she is a natural gymnast. she loves her cheerleading and takes it very serious, gianna has been so mature lately sometimes i tell her to just be a kid and let things slide, but she always knows right from wrong, and makes sure she always does what is right. gianna likes to be the leader, i keep telling her that being a leader never got anyone in trouble and its more than ok to not want to follow anyone elses footsteps but her own, and well she pretty much does just that...gianna lost 4 teeth these past couple months, she has the typical kid 2 front teeth, and shes waiting for one more to grow in to be complete, she keeps asking when it will grow in and i say "in time" she doesnt particularly like that answer, but i have no other one to offer, she wants her teeth and she wants them now, ;)
gianna has been talking about college lately and i can hardly believe my ears,i didnt know that 8 year olds cared about college, but i told her where ever she chooses to go i will follow her and do everything for her so she doesnt have to worry about anything but school, and she was perfectly fine with that. ;) i told her this is because i am never letting go and when she is old enough to be on her own, she has to still live with me and i will cook and clean and watch her kids and do everything under the sun for her, she loves the idea. i think im just in shock that my baby is already in 3rd grade and getting so big, that i kind of just want to cradle her for ev er! you have to remember that gianna and i had such a special bond, we were babies together, we were learning everything together, it was all brand new and we made every bit of it work for the best. i am so grateful for gianna every single day. she is my "AH HA!" moment, i love my gianna and cant think of a better way to spend my life than raising her and to continue watching her grow into a mature, beautiful, well mannered little angel.

birthday boy

now rocco, i know you cant read this but i am going to write in hopes that when you are older you will read this and have it bring joy to your heart. today is may 10 2010, which marks your 4th birthday! wow that seems absolutely nuts to me. i can honestly remember still having you inside my belly waiting and waiting for you to grace us with your birth...then that moment came when you were born, i was the the happiest mom in the world for the 2nd time. i couldnt believe how lucky i had been when i was blessed with a big healthy beautiful baby boy that i can call my own.  i looked at your little self and thought just plain and simply "wow." i look at you now and i still say the same thing. you are smart, hilarious, gorgeous, charming, sweet as pie, full of love and the best boy ever! you grow and grow more and more every day and each morning that you wake up and show me those big brown eyes and those full edible cheeks, and those adorable little hands that i want to hold for a lifetime, i am so proud. i am proud that you have manners, and respect and all the charm one could ask for! you are the ideal little boy and for that i am speechless...

your love for motorcycles, and animals, and jaiden, and your family, gianna, your grandmas and pops, aunts and uncles brings tears to my eyes because i see just how much you understand things and just how much you appreciate "life" and that makes me cry...but good tears. your only 4 but you are already the perfect person. you are one of a kind and i can barely think because the tears are blocking my thought process, but baby you are the best and mommy loves you so much! happy birthday and just keep being you!  i love you to the moon and back

love mommy

long time no blog

well since it has been almost 2 months of me forgetting my password and not being able to blog a lot has gone on.  a quick summary...

gianna is doing fantastic, excelling in school and having a great relationship with her friends and brother. gianna is such a unique kind of girl it really baffles me to relaize that i created such a incredible being. for that i am proud of myself. she is a dream child and i am truly blessed. the school year is comming to an end and she will be entering 2nd grade come fall and man is that a real tear jerker, she is on the "pink panthers" soccer team and every week she runs her little butt off and is usually red as a beet but man is she good! i like to think of her growing up as a bittersweet combo, i love seeing her grow and mature yet at the same time i love watching her sleep and look like a baby nestled in a crib and try to imagine her being that small all over again. my gianna. i love you

rocco, oh rocco my rocco. i never felt i could be so deeply in love with a little boy as i am with him, he is the kindest, most loving, big hearted kind of boy full of hugs when he wakes up and kisses. he is always happy and learning something new everyday. his new thing is going onto the computer and playing games and painting on his easel and really using his imagination which usually blows my mind. he has this thing about him that i could just kiss and squeeze him all day. he is always so energetic and willing to go the extra mile for you. i just recently signed rocco up for preschool and that was a big deal for ME! rocco cant wait to go to school. like his sissy, rocco too plays soccer and the way he runs and listens to direction and follows all the rules gives me a  true sense of satisfaction, i am so so so proud of my little soccer star! he is the best! rocco, keep on rockin in the free world

our home was under construction for quite some time, as of now it is finally finished. we made a loft over our garage and we put a balcony along the front of it which in itself has tons of character and we are really excited to be able to use it! chris plans to furnish it complete with a cigar bar, leather recliners, a mini bar, a tv, a fireplace, and a air hockey table. a little something for everyone. i, however just plan to sit back and watch them enjoy every second of it, after all thats the best part of being a mom, isnt it?!

i am still falling in love with chris more and more every day and its so much fun. we are getting to spend a little more time together because our kids are getting bigger and more independent so therefor we can sit by the fire at night while the kids are playing and enjoy one another, that is my favorite part of being a wife. we get that quality time that we didnt really have prior to them getting so big. but this too is bittersweet to me, sometimes i wish i could sit and hold a baby but other times its nice to sit and just hold a hand. 

life for us is challenging constantly but always and usually in a good way. i love my family more than words can say and i  wouldn't change anything for the world.

the Sweetest thing...

as you all may know, Rocco is my baby boy. he is kind, loving, caring, considerate, and sweet. sure he has his moments when he cries and complains but what kid doesn't. just now i was sitting downstairs drinking my coffee watching rachel ray on how to de-clutter your house and well first of all i am glad i'm not cluttered and have no de- cluttering to do...but besides that, rocco comes down stairs, immediately gets my attention with his soft cute little voice. he asks me if he can have the candy from gabi and gracies birthday party. i say sure if i can have a hug first. so he comes and gives me a big warm hug and i start to get emotional(inside) because he really truly and honestly is the best little boy ever. he is always so willing to be affectionate and i am so taken back by it (in a good way). not a day goes by that i don't wish i could freeze the time, that he could stay this sweet and innocent for eternity, that i can carry him in my arms forever, because (and i am crying ..of course) i love him so much and i am so sad for the day that he gets so big that i cant carry him, or convince him to hug me for a piece of candy, or just cuddle him and kiss his rosy cheeks when ever my heart desires or listen to him call me from my big oversized bed saying "mommy i want breakfast", or watching him rub his big chocolate chip brown eyes that are still so sleepy...i want these moments to last forever! 

there are times when being a mom really makes you realize how precious your babies are and i cant even imagine life any other way. my life is so content and complete being a mother and bowing down to my kids, i want to do everything for them, no matter what it is.  i know some people may have different opinions but as long as i can i will..take care of my babes and make their lives the best they can be. 

the point of this particular blog was to just express how much i adore my rocco and sometimes it is so much better to actually write down your feelings then to just think them, sure thinking them is fine but as soon as i was taken back by rocco being "the sweetest thing" right away i had to get my feelings down and let the world know just how happy i am!

rocco...mommy loves you!

DeMuroFest

Everytime Richard(my eldest brother) comes out for a visit to NJ from Cali we have what we call "DeMuroFest." we get together, have dinner, go to lunch, get coffee, have some wine and sit around the table and talk and laugh for hours. i so look forward to these times because it is so much fun. i love to have my family all together just hanging out and laughing and screaming and best yet just being together. so this DeMurofest ends today unfortunatly. Richard has to go back to California and continue his life and we continue ours but this time we had such a fabulous time.

Richard and Lyndsey came out and we threw my dad an awesome surprise party! we had such a blast everyone that we love and care for was there and we were happy it was such a success. Of course Daddy had no idea, he's usually clueless to things of that nature but that was the best part, we were able to get the house decorated, set up balloons, food, wine, mixed drinks and wait patiently for our guests to arrive... it was really a special one because when the guest of honor arrived, he was truly "surprised", he came in, greeted everyone with a big italian hug and kiss and then we proceeded to party on, serve dinner, sing happy birthday and stay up late sharing lots of laughs thanks to jaclyn, sheri. haha when the night came to an end we all were so happy and grateful that we have each other and happy we were able to have our very dear friends and family with us. "oh what a night"

one of the days during our fest we got "snowed in" my mommy's condo, me, gianna, rocco, richard, lyndsey and mommy. we spent the prior night there due to the snow and when we woke up it was a land of marshmallow fluff as rocco likes to call it. all day mommy cooked pasta fagioli, we watched countless movies and television and of course richard worked, but we have such a fun bonding time during the storm. it was nice to kind of just sit on the couch n jammies all day and your only worry being what to eat next. i only wish richard and lyndsey could be here for more of those marshmallowy fluff days...

we always have such a good time when we are together and i always get so saddened when the time is up, my brother is so much fun to be around i just hate when he has to leave but i will cherish the times we had together until next DeMuroFest!

Baby Genius

Ever since Gianna was a little "baby" she was "exceptional", chris and i were so blessed to have been given the gift of Gianna and as she grew up we realized she was smart, quick, logical, easy to be around and just not your average kid. Gianna is always trying to be a little more grow up than she really is but i think all kids do that, however her mind really is more grown up which leads me to yesterday...

She comes home from school with her typical "i'm STARVING" routine, she climbs on the counter finds a snack and asks if she can go on my computer. of course i say yes and she is zipping through "kid games" when she says "isn't there anything else i can play" so we search online for brain games for her and we come across BrainQuest but the version is for 6-9 year olds however that doesn't hold back my daughter, shes like BRING IT! haha so she proceeds answering every single question correctly. she plays again gets another 100 % now im thinking lets find something more...so we go to a kids iQ challenge and she answers 100 out of 200  questions before she got ansy...she answered 80 % of the questions correctly, there were things she has not even learned yet which still didn't discourage her because she took good guesses. finally we went to an adult website for IQ's and she plays the "speed memory game" which  you have to see the picture for  a second or less and then rebuild it with your mouse/gianna went through this memory game like no other. she kept saying "oh this is easy" oh i got it, ohh i know this,  moral of this "blog" is two things...one dont ever underestimate your children and two i am just purely proud and beyond happy with gianna. she is truly such a smart girl and i just hope she doesnt hold herself back.  oh and btw the score was "outstanding"for the speed memory game. i am one lucky mommy and she is one smart kiddo.

Daddy's Birthday Dinner

last night feb 4th we went out to dinner to celebrate my dad turning 54! we went to a little italian restaurant in montclair. we all sat there eating, drinking, laughing, and sharing a beautiful moment. sometimes i look at my family and cant believe how lucky i am. i realize more and more everytime i get moments like that just how much i love them! i love the fact that daddy is a healthy and happy 54 year old grandpa of 2 who adores his grandkids , i love that my mom looked absolutely stunning at the dinner table! i love that my sisters were right across from me laughing about "crazy eyes" and i love that justin was late...but that makes him who he is.
i love that the "outlaws" sit next to each other and chat about healthy dinner options but opt for chicken parm over linguiene (babe thats you) haha and i love that gianna and rocco behaved like the most well manered kids around. for nights like this i am truly grateful, even though i wish richard and lyndsey could have been there, it was a fun De Muro Dinner , the carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and 55 birthday candles was a hit (one for good luck) even though gianna and rocco both expressed their hatred for "carrot cake" i think they devoured most of it. life is so much fun when you just go with the flow, i advise you to love your family endlessly and enjoy birthdays!