I Think We'll Go To Boston, Part 3

I love being an auntie. I get to do all of the fun stuff, like mail presents just because I feel like it, and smother them in kisses and tickles, and I get to be the one to hold them during special religious ceremonies, at which I am deemed their Godmother. Yeah. Boom.

Two years ago, I held my Olly-bear through his baptism. This June, I held my Westie-bug through his.

It's probably completely improper to photograph in church...?

My brother and sister-in-law have a lovely church in beautiful Arlington, MA and we have attended so many special moments there with them: their wedding and the baptisms of both of our nephews. The red door and the large historic bricks are swoon-worthy. It's a beautiful place for Sundays and families.

If you're ever in Boston, you must make a short trek to Arlington for Blue Ribbon BBQ. We have it every time we visit my brother because it is amazing! We get really nervous that there won't be enough so we order the meal for 6 to feed the 4 of us and it's always too much -- even though we stuff ourselves to near burst! Just imagine how much my brother ordered for the whole family post-baptsism lunch!? Oh, how it was so good.

Great news, DC friends!!! We recently discovered when my brother came to DC and we went to order Williards BBQ in Dulles that the menus were eerily identical. Turns out that Williard's here in VA, which is two minutes from my house, is owned by the BROTHER of Blue Ribbon BBQ which is two minutes from my brother's house in MA. Does anyone else think thats a super weird thing?? It's like God wants my brother and I to share in the BBQ goodness.

BBQ, y'all. It brings a family together. I had to take a picture.

Remember my mother's day post about my mom's vanity license plate?? Blah x 4! 

After lunch, it's a sort of tradition (meaning, we did it the one other time after Oliver's baptism) to walk to Spy Lake Park. Charlie loves this park and I totally see why! A beautiful park overlooking a beautiful lake with a small, sandy beach for dipping toes and a playground with a zip line! :)

The boys had so much fun!

My boys are really into baseball and Henry loves a good game of whiffle-ball. Mike couldn't resist bringing a bat and a ball to the park and getting all the boys going on a game.

Henry is AMAZING at whiffle ball. Well, at hitting the ball. He almost never misses. But no matter where he hits the ball, he thinks he gets a home run and runs all the bases. And it's so cute, no one dares tell him any different.

And... then the battery on my camera kicked out before Charlie or Olly stepped up to bat. Yay for iphone to the rescue!

Snuggling Weston (And Maybe a Deep Thought or Two)

I am in love with my nephews. L-O-V-E. I just adore them. Everyone loves their nephews this much, right? I sure hope so.

My brother was kind enough to buy them flights to come see me this past weekend. Oh. And he and his wife came too. But mostly, they just brought me my babies.

My sweet Olly-Bear turned two just a few months ago and precious, adorable, Smiley-Guy Weston, is five months. My camera was addicted to Westie. For one, well, it's obvious how gorgeous he is. And two, he can't move!!! So fun to not chase or coerce or beg him to smile and stay. You just oogle and google over him (which I do anyway) and he busts out with the happiness. 

slight nephew obsession

At one point during the weekend, I was leaning over Weston as he laid on my bed. I was really supposed to be folding laundry while he kept me company... but instead, I was kissing his belly and that precious soft skin on his neck.  As I kissed him and told him what a perfect little boy he is, he looked at me and I looked at him and a thought washed over me...

He is brand new to this world. And he knows nothing about it yet. But there he is - only five months into a 100 year go of it - and he is smiling already. Smiling is one of the first things babies do. They are born. They can eat, sleep, breathe and poop. And then, before anything else, they smile. My nephew reminded me this weekend that our human, that our natural instinct, is to love. Weston's natural instinct is happiness, trust, and love. 

I think when the world seems so cruel... it really means something that we are all brought here with the same starting out point - love.

I have so many mommy friends and know so many women who fret and worry over raising their children to be good people. I know I do. I over-analyze and over think and worry, worry, worry. Did my lack of patience with potty training scar them for life? Did my scary scream because they were fighting over the same toy for the 5 millionth time send them to the dark side?? Did I spend too much time working today that the lack of doting attention is going to send them over the edge? I have been known to attack friends with older children who seem to have raised theirs to young adulthood in tact and BEG them to tell me how they did it. I think, as mothers, we want to find the right parenting recipe to ensure our children will safely grow from this sweet innocence to be kind, thoughtful, intelligent, respectful and loving adults. We want to protect them. That is our natural instinct as mothers. 

What is the secret? What is the answer? Shield them from violence? Homeschool? No video games? No social media? Pack their schedules with extracurricular activities? Religion? No religion? Hold off on braces until they're 16 so that the mouth full of metal keeps all the potential mega-hormoned boyfriends and girlfriends at bay (thanks mom. I see now how brilliant this tactic was)?  Pray they become the nerdiest of teenagers that only want to stay home and hang out with mommy? I am personally really hoping for that last one... 

I wish I knew the recipe. I'm as lost as every other parent. 

But I think I'll fight this world for my babies, for my brother's babies, for my sister-in-law's babies and for all babies with the same overwhelming and strong feeling that the tiniest and newest human beings are born with - love. 

In all things, I am going to try to do my best. I hope I make the right decisions in parenting (and aunt-ing). But the one thing I am CERTAIN OF is that I will love them. Immensely. And Always. So far, it seems like an essential part of the recipe. 

Oh, and I'll photograph them too. Immensely. And Always.