Dear Luca

Dear Mr. Luca,
I cannot believe you are two years old already. Where has time gone?! It seems like just yesterday I was enjoying my maternity leave and beating the desert heat by snuggling you in the cool AC all day. I remember you snoozing in your swing or Rock N Play while I did my workouts or cleaned up the house. I loved napping in the recliner with you sleeping on my chest. Where has that tiny little baby gone? Now I am spending these hot July days trying to keep you busy! You are always on the go. You love ball still. That hasn't changed. Basketball is always your first choice each day. Yesterday we had your two year old pictures taken and you were really only interested in throwing and kicking the balls to the photographer. You are also becoming more interested in cars, trucks, and bikes. You are ALL boy. The garbage truck fascinates you, but also scares you a little. He he. You love riding your balance bike through the house when it's too hot outside, and lately you have been all about the movie Cars and Lightning McQueen. You were thrilled when your Tia Andrea bought you a Lightning McQueen quad for your birthday, and poor Tevez has to watch out when you get on that thing in the house! You also LOVE going to Chuck E. Cheese to play basketball games. You pretty much ask to go every day. And you are pretty disappointed when we can't.
We celebrated your second birthday in the park in California with family, and you were beyond excited about your soccer birthday cake. You actually understood what birthdays are all about this year, which made it really fun! Everyone is always amazed by your vocabulary, and the fact that you speak English and Spanish. Even total strangers comment on your "big voice" and how clearly you speak for your age. It is kind of funny to see this tiny little guy speaking in complete sentences. Sometimes you even surprise us with the things that you come up with! You can count to 10 in English and Spanish, sing your ABC's (and you even know a couple of letters), and you are getting pretty good at naming colors in Spanish. You love naming the color of each car in the parking lot or each truck on the freeway. We are so truly blessed to have you as our son, and you are so very special to us. I hope that you always know how loved you are, not only by us but by everyone in our family. I look forward to watching you continue to grow and change, and I am excited to see your interests continue to develop and change. Thank you for being you, my precious baby boy.


Love,

Mommy

...and we have a two year old!!!!

Well it's been awhile I know. Things got pretty hectic for the Sotomayor family when the month of May rolled around, and they haven't slowed down a bit since!!! It all started with Luca getting croup and then the stomach flu the very next weekend. Poor kid was down and out for quite awhile. Then of course the rest of us were also hit by the same bug. No bueno. Tia Andrea also flew out in the midst of our sickness (brave girl) to search for an apartment. Yep, that's right. We finally have family here!!! I am so thrilled that she is here. It's so wonderful to have someone just down the street that you can call family. Don't get me wrong, we have been beyond blessed with wonderful friends here that are just like family to us, but there is no substitute for actual family. I am also so excited for her because I know that this new journey is going to be incredible for her, and she absolutely deserves a fresh new beginning. It's been a long road for her, one that I cannot even begin to imagine, but she has show such faith and perseverance in the face of adversity. I truly admire her tenacity and drive.
At the end of the month we hosted Santi's parents who helped drive Andrea's car across the country. This is the second time they have tackled that trip, and I am NOT envious! It was nice having them here and they got to spend some quality time with Luca while helping Andrea get settled. Unfortunately we also had to say goodbye to Andrea's dog Totti who got very sick with cancer unexpectedly the week they arrived. That was a really difficult thing to watch her go through, and we were all heartbroken. But we have to take comfort in the fact that he had a long and fulfilling life and was very much loved.
Shortly after Andrea arrived, Luca and I ventured on our first solo trip to Indiana. We had to leave daddy behind to work, which I was not thrilled about, but we did it! We had a wonderful time with family. enjoyed a nostalgic trip to Holiday World, went fishing with Grandpa Gary, met Luca's two newest cousins Peter and Merilynn, played with Ruthi, got to see everyone in North Vernon, spent some time visiting our favorite people and places in Bloomington, and enjoyed the escape from the desert heat! It was a much needed getaway, and we are beyond blessed with amazing family. Even though distance keeps us apart much more than I would like, when we are able to be together it is truly special and I cherish every moment. And without my parents it would not be possible financially for us to visit as often as we do, so we are so humbled by their willingness to make the distance work. They know how much we love living in Arizona, and how much we hate being away from them.
When we returned from Indiana, we had a couple of days to catch up on sleep and laundry before packing up again and heading to San Diego for a short family vacation and a trip to Sea World for Luca's second birthday. We had a great time at Sea World and got to enjoy some beautiful scenery along the coast before heading up to L.A. to spend some time with Santi's family who was visiting from Ecuador, including our favorite guy Abuelito Alberto (Luca's namesake). We celebrated the 4th of July with them and enjoyed a cookout, pool time, a parade, and fireworks. Then we got to spend Luca's actual birthday celebrating with pizza and a cake from Porto's Cuban Bakery in Solvang. It was nothing big but it was great to be able to celebrate with family.
Since we returned from California, we have been busy shopping for a new car and getting ready for visitors next week, not to mention I go back to school in just two weeks! I can't believe that. Where did the summer go?!

Let him eat cake!!! (He still  talkes about that soccer birthday cake)