London

Back in April,  we visited London and I am just now getting around to sharing our experience...  yes, it's only been four months since our return!! Anyway! Where has time gone??  I loved visiting London and parts of England's country side... Everywhere I looked, was picture worthy. England has loads of character and I'm a sucker for character. 

We visited a lot of the popularly known sights in London, which are magnificent, and I'm so glad I was able to see them with my own eyes. However, my most favorite part of London was walking the streets + strolling the parks. I kept imagining a life there. Do any of you ever image living in the places you are visiting? ... I do!!

As I reminisce, of the time I spent there, and dream of one day returning to beautiful England, the first memories that come back to me are walking the narrow-brick-pebbled-streets, admiring the beautifully-adorned-home-fronts boasting with spring blooms, and getting lost in the beautiful parks that are sprinkled throughout the city. Ohh, the parks!! I could go on and on about the parks... the beautifully manicured parks were a dream... I could definitely tell that Londoners are very proud of their city. I also admired the juxtaposition between the historic architecture of the city and the modern way of life... these complement each other so beautifully. Did I mention how much I love character.... and all the character London boasts?? Yes, I loved all the architectural details. I also loved London's diversity... Londoners are so diverse in every way possible and I just admire that! 

 

Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace + Kensington Palace's Gardens 

 

Tower of London, London Bridge & River Thames

 

The Iconic Streets of London & The British Museum 

We were so fortunate to book a day trip to explore Windsor Castle, The City of Bath, and Stonehenge.  This gave us an opportunity to see a different side of England.

On route to Windsor  + Windsor Castle

 

The City of Bath + The Roman Baths

We only spent a couple hours in Bath and I felt a connection... I felt the city was calling my name. I dream of one day returning to explore Bath City a little more... perhaps stay a little while. Bath is so quaint and has such a peaceful air.

The Country Side... on route to Stonehenge

Dear England, your countryside is so beautiful!!  

 

Trafalgar Square, The Mall, St James's Park,  & Buckingham Palace

 

London Eye, Westminster Bridge, Big Ben + Place of Westminster & Westminster Abbey

 

London Parks 

We were lucky enough to visit London in the springtime to witness all the beautiful blooms around the city parks.  Regent's Park was particularly special, a highlight from this trip.

The Italian Garden's Cafe

Here's Alexander enjoying the park and taking in the views while we waited for the Italian Garden's Cafe at Kensington Garden's to open. We discovered this little gem when we were strolling through Kensington Gardens on our second day in London. We sat down on their courtyard for breakfast and were so static with our choice, that we had to return again for our last breakfast in the city before returning home. Our tastebuds fell in love with the food and our eyes fell in love with the views. The food was simply prepared, super fresh + delicious... and the organic coffee and teas were also stellar. This was another highlight of our trip. 

I just love traveling, discovering new places + ways of life, and traveling to London was no exception. I particularly loved traveling with two of my favorite people and spending lots of quality time with them (without the demands of everyday life). Alexander really enjoyed himself too... he loved roaming the parks on foot... I'm sure he felt "wild + free".  He was also keen on riding the trains + buses.  A few of the words/phases Alexander picked up from this trip were, "London Taxi" "London Bus" and "Stonehenge". His pronunciation of Stonehenge is by far my favorite... Its music to my ears every time. 

Hope you enjoyed our London travel dairy! 

Xx, Rocio 

When the Season Feels Heavy

Time felt heavy this morning.

I decided to wake up after laying in bed for what seemed like hours. Alexander woke up and per the norm lately, he made his way to our room, wanting to cuddle up in bed with us. Over the weekend, he found himself snuggled in bed with us -we slept in until 8:40 am on Saturday morning- which was glorious -I haven't slept in that late since his birth. 

Tonight however, I brought him back to his bed, put covers on him, held his hands, talked to him about staying in bed. He wanted to cuddle --so I cuddled him for a little while, as I told him it's time to rest. "Mami needs rest, Daddy needs rest, Mateo needs rest," I said to him.  I told him I loved him, many times. And per his request, I turned on the sound machine to "the pleasant sound",  to "the birdies", and finally off.  "I have to go potty, mami."   "I have to eat, I want to eat pasta, mami" he requested. I kissed him good night and told him I needed to "pee pee" and I walked out of his room. 

I went "pee pee", made my way to bed, got comfortable, got comfortable again, and again... my mind became overwhelmed with thought... started thinking about the weight of time and how unbelievably fast the last 2 years have gone. Alexander is 25 months old and I haven't kept his journal as detailed as I once planned nor have I written as many love letters as I would like. Those thoughts felt heavy -felt heavy because time is fleeting and it's not forgiving. 

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He has gotten, "soo big" -I hear his sweet little voice as he repeats it after we say, "you are soo big". He is so smart and charming, so sweet and loving, so cute and cuddly, so lively and HAPPY, so curious and thoughtful. We like to think he is pretty awesome... for sure the best thing that's happened to us. 

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Inevitably, I think of slowing time down -the idea of freezing time rolled through my head; and again time felt heavy. I started thinking about all his milestones, his baby chatter, his giggles,  his perfect sentences, his repeating of new words and phases, his questions, his kindness, his love, his besos (kisses), his forgiving heart, his warm embraces, his bright eyes, and yes, his being.

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Suddenly, I felt a warming grace pour over me and I instantly felt soo grateful for his being, his life, his presence, his love -and I felt grateful for being part of it. How did we get so lucky... He is truly a gift from God, a blessing (the meaning of his name) Mateo.  

So I savor. I am grateful. And when I forget to savor, I relearn to savor and continue to savor even when-time-feels-heavy.   I want to feel as high and as PRESENT as I felt for the first 18-20 months of his life.

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"The days may be long, but the years are short" - Gretchen Rubi.

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And so, I want to savor it all. I want to savor the long and hard days -the days of little sleep, the days of putting him to bed and then returning him to bed, again, and again and again; the days when getting him to eat is such a struggle; the days my patience runs thin and I'm in the thick of it.  And soon enough, the rhythm flows easier and by savoring the hard moments, we have a deeper appreciation for the calm, the quiet, the simple, the laughter, the snuggles, the simple joys of day to day life. Our live is built on the smallness of the day to day - and because of that- I want to savor it all. 

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Sitting in stillness, shutting off the outside noise, being present, and enjoying these little moments -as mundane as they may seem at times-  that's all I want to do. I want to fully savor this season of life as a young mother. A young mother to this tiny soul. A tiny soul who has had the biggest influence in my life and has taught me so much in such a short time. 

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When the season feels heavy, know that it's just a season and know that these hard seasons will make you prosper... will make you stronger... and will make you appreciate even deeper.

Xx,  Rocio

A Train Cake for a Twoo Twoo

This past weekend (also Mother's Day weekend), we celebrated part two of Alexander's second birthday with my side of the family. My super talented sister, Susy, worked her magic and created this  super cute vintage inspired train engine cake for his twoo twoo.   Alexander is obssessed with trains, so it was only fitting we would do a choo choo inspired celebration. Though we didn't have a party for him, we still wanted to celebrate him and make his second birthday feel really special...  I think we accomplished just that.

 If would like a custom cake for your celebrations, reach out, and I can pass Susy's contact to you. 

Xx,  Rocio