Here's some Friday morning handsome to kick your weekend off.

My boy Bronson....always happy as long as he's eating or drinking.

Happy Valentines's Day!

I turned my back for a minute (how many times have you heard that one) and Bronson grabbed a box of chocolates from the counter and went to town!

This is pretty good.

Let me try another one.

Just one more

Mommy's not even looking...hee hee.

Uh-oh. Busted.

Best dinner ever! Thanks mom.

"When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams."-Dr. Seuss

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
-Helen Keller

Happy Valentine's Day.

Since I have 2 boys, people are always asking if they have similar personalities. Yes and no.

They are both Gemini. They have a 4 year age difference, but their birthdays are 2 weeks apart.

The easiest way to put it into perspective is this:

Mo (Morris) has the same bday as Naomi Campbell.

B (Bronson) has the same bday as Angelina Jolie.

Mo: Very intense and emotional. He's meticulous and an extreme perfectionist. He is ultra competitive in everything he does and doesn't like to be 2nd best in anything. When he's happy, it's almost as if he's drunk. When he's angry, his jugular vein bulges. He needs attention, but doesn't neccesarily have to be the center of attention at gatherings. He has a quiet confidence and always surveys a situation or circumstance before taking action. Gets bored easily, especially when he's not challenged. He's very protective of people he loves and has a passion for fighting and being physical, although he is rarely the aggressor. Loves the ladies, girls, females, etc...

B: Very carefree and laid back. He adapts well to change and goes along for the ride easily. He loves to laugh and play, often times just by himself. He is extremely independent and does the best when he's just left alone to do his own thing. His favorite activity is eating. He always has food in his hand or mouth. He loves to laugh and thinks everything is funny. He will sit down quietly and read books or do puzzles. He has a pretty good attention span and doesn't get bored with repetivie tasks. Very sweet, fun loving, and happy among loved ones, but cautious and quiet around unfamiliar faces.

We'll see what happens over the next few years. Otherwise, I'm content with my little Naomi and little Angelina. :-)

One thing I'm learning about having 2 kids is all about sibling relationships. Morris and Bronson are 4 years apart. They want to play with each other,  but sometimes it's hard for a 5 year old to communicate with a 1 year old and vice versa.

I'm learning the fine line of parental intervention and when to just let them "work it out". I don't want Morris to feel that I'm always taking Bronson's side then Mo feels alienated and like I chose "the baby" over him. At the same time, I don't want to teach Bronson to be passive and feel like I'm gonna always step in and save him when there's an altercation.

So lately, I've just been sitting back and watching how things play out and intervene at the last minute as a last solution.

Mo: Look at my cool R2D2.

Bronson: Hmm...what's my brother have? Looks kind of interesting. I'm gonna check it out.

Bronson: Oh yeah, that's cool. I sure wish I could play with it...

Mo: I said "NO" you little shit. Buzz off.

Mo: Beat it Bronson.

Bronson: Ok, fine, if you're not gonna show me how R2D2 works, I'll just read my books.

Mo: Ok, fine, it has a remote control that makes it work...

Mo: Then, R2D2 starts moving and talking...

Bronson: I don't get it...lemme just get a little closer.

Mo: That's too close little brother. Back it up.

Mo: You got too close bro.

Bronson: Just lemme see the remote then...please...

Mo: This kid is annoying.

Mo: When are you gonna get it through your thick head...

Bronson: When are you gonna get it through your thick head...

Mo: I'm gonna have to show him who the BIG BROTHER is around these parts.

Mo: I'm locking R2D2 in the bathroom. Now, scram half-pint.

Mo: Lie down and take a nap.

Bronson: Don't do that brother...I'm warning ya.

Mo: OUCH! Ok, fine you can see R2D2

Bronson: I warned ya.

Sometimes, situations just have a way of working themselves out.

People are always asking why I don't talk about my younger son as much as Mo.

That's easy. Bronson is 19 months. He doesn't really do much besides laugh, hide my beloved posessions, eat, and sleep. Nice life.

Sometimes when I write, he likes to play in the kitchen opening drawers, rearranging snacks in the panty, etc.

The other day I was writing and when I looked up, I saw he found Mo's arts and crafts box. Thank goodness those Crayola markers are non toxic.

At least he didn't write on the walls.

Recently I talked to a mom that said she wasn't sure if she was gonna continue to do the whole "Santa thing" with her kids. She was a little down about the economy and said she didn't think it was right that Santa get the credit for her hard earned money and gift giving.

For me, it's just the whole essence of giving my kids something to believe in.

I can remember how excited I got around the holidays and the magical feeling of waking up Christmas morning to see the tree lit and filled with presents underneath. (I won't mention the one Christmas where I complained about the gifts and called them "crap" only to be sent back to bed until I was a little more appreciative for Santa's efforts).

Anyway, I realize what that mom was saying, but once you grow up and have kids, you really appreciate the efforts your parents make to help you feel special. And I'm sure your kids will feel the same way.

Whether it's giving "Santa" credit for the gift giving or the Tooth Fairy credit for the money. Just as adults need distractions from things such as the economy, relationships, job situations, etc, children need the same. They too get frustrated with life's little curveballs: making friends, doing well in school, excelling in sports, fitting in, etc.

So, I choose to let the holiday season be a happy time for me and the boys. It's a time to celebrate togetherness and c

reate traditions and happiness to remember for years to come. I can only hope that when they get older they will look back and appreciate the efforts just as I do now with my own folks and them giving me the gift of something to hope for and believe in.

Here are a couple of cool sites I found the kids might enjoy:

Claus.com: The coolest thing about this site is the "Naughty and Nice Rating". You type in your name and get a report from what Santa has concluded about your behavior. Here's what Santa thinks about me:

Overall, niceness outweighs naughtiness. Was good a lot last month! Politeness often good, but has room for improvement. Could help around house more instead of watching so much TV. Expected to move even higher up "nice" list.

Hmm...Guess I better get my butt in gear if I want to get that new Chole!

SantaClaus.com: For $9.95 you can get a personalized letter from Santa with a stamp "Mailed from the North Pole". For $6.95 your child can get a phone call the big guy personalized with their name. This sounds like a Flip worthy moment for when your kid is on his way to the Senior Prom. I'm sure his date will get a kick out of his excitement in the years to come.

NoradSanta.org: Wanna know Santa's exact location right now? This site can pinpoint Santa's location as well as a detailed countdown til the thrilling day. There is an amazing FAQ's section that answers your kid's most common questions that we seem to make up the dumbest answers for:

How does Santa get down chimneys?, How old is Santa?, When will Santa arrive at my house, etc.

So in between your holiday shopping and baking, hop on over to these sites. I've gotta go work on raising my niceness quotient!

It's that time of year: Christmas card time!

For moms, this is like our Fantasy Football, tailgating, and poker night all rolled into one. It's our mommy moment of glory.

It's the time of year we show off our kids to people that we never talk to. We dress our little ones up, make them sit still, and take goofy holiday photos. What happened to just buying the generic cards from Target? NO! Now, we all do the fancy online photo cards. We must show off our offspring, right?

Then we mail them off to many friends that we have lost touch with over time. Why does mailing a silly Christmas card give us a sense of redemption for neglecting family and friends over a year's time? 

It's so funny when they email you once they recieved it, "wow, the boys have grown up so much, and really changed." Ya think? It's been a whole year since you've last "seen" them. Remember? Last year's Christmas card? We haven't talked since then.

Oh well, I always have fun doing our family Christmas card. I look forward to it.

Last year, I sort of went a little overboard. It's was Bronson's first Christmas, so I wanted it to be really special. I tricked him and Mo out in coordinating Christmas outfits and went to a popular LA photographer.

This year, I was slack. Before I knew it, Thanksgiving was over and I hadn't even thought about the  Christmas card attire. There has been so much going on, I have really put this project on the back burner. That is until I got the first card of the season....it was from my cousin. It promptly arrived on Dec 1 with the entire family (mom, dad, and 3 kids) all spic and span in matching ensembles.

All the good photographers were booked, and I really didn't feel like buying another green and red button down set. So, I pulled out my trusty point and shoot camera and let the boys wear whatever they wanted. They were less than cooperative, but we sure had fun trying to snap a photo.

Bronson is 18 months old now and really into playing "chase" so he won't sit still for one second (unless you're giving him cheetos). And Mo is so into superhero and martial arts poses. To him, "nice smile" means one arm doing an uppercut and the other one strangling poor Bronson.

So, I got a little creative with the photo layout. If you're on my Christmas card mailing list, check your mailboxes soon. 

Here are a few that didn't quite make the Christmas card cut: