family time - It's a Vivas Thing!

Mar 08 2018

Only so much time…

We are only given so much time.

Time to love. Time to laugh. Time to cry. Time to grow.

Time to spend with those we love.

Time to live.

We spend so much time being busy. Busy being a mom. An employee. The list goes on. Sometimes, we are forced to slow down. With my recent surgery, I was definitely forced into a slow down period. And as hard as it has been, the most positive part of it is the time it has given me to spend with my family, with friends, and more. It has been wonderful to spend time with precious friends I hadn’t seen in ages.

But even more, is the time I spend with my kids; my family. I know some people look forward to the “empty nester” stage. I know, I know….they have to grow up some time. But, in the meantime, I’m going to continue enjoying the walks in the park with my boys. It’s a time to talk and learn more about each other as we grow older. A time to learn that the Talented One loves Doris Day music. Who knew? I love her singing and acting! So we walk, and talk, and listen to music from “before my day” while my youngest son tries his hardest not to face plant on his new longboard. Then there’s the long talks on the back porch or at the kitchen table with the Smart One. Oh, how I treasure those moments with my boys. It won’t be long before they will be gone and the talks and walks will go with them.

The time I spend with my girls. When the Drama Queen rushes in bouncing on my bed to tell me (with full drama, of course) all about her day. And we often talk until one of us falls asleep. Or when the Princess tells me what she learned in health class today, or of deeper conversations of who she wants to be one day and how she’s going to get there.

I miss the days when my oldest daughter would watch a movie with me on a Sunday afternoon…and of course, fall asleep. Or we’d catch up after a long day, or plan trips together.

An my oldest…I miss going into his room in the evenings and chatting before bed.

As they get older, they find others to spend their time with. And naturally, a boyfriend/girlfriend, or a wonderful spouse.

Recently, I had some one on one with my oldest… and we had the best time just talking and eating ice cream. I actually went home and cried. Not because I was sad, but because it had been so long since we just sat and talked and enjoyed some time together…and so I was a emotional. He’ll understand it one day with his own children. The pride you feel as they grow older, but the pain you feel as they grow older.

Soon, we’ll be welcoming a new member into the family. I am so…overcome with emotion as I look forward to meeting my grand-baby. Oh, the talks we will have; the walks we will have…

But for now, I’m going to continue to enjoy the time I have in those moments on my porch, or in my bedroom, or at the park….and eating ice cream….and perhaps, even sneaking in a trip or two…

Jan 06 2018

Contagious Smiles

Christmas has come and gone and the 2018 has already begun. With my recent surgery, I’ve had a lot of sitting time; time with my children, and time with myself. I’m finally at the point of spending time on my computer, so I pulled up the photos from opening our gifts…and my heart was filled with warmth.

I’m more of a “wait to the last minute” kind of shopper…I don’t shop on Black Friday, and I like to personalize my gifts. I want to be able to find that perfect gift that they will remember. It’s not about expense, but more of a gift that will mean something to them. I think for me, I want them to know that I get them; that it’s important for me for them to know that I know them.

This year, I discovered I’d be having surgery, which meant I literally had a small amount of time to get the gifts, wrap them, and get the house ready for Christmas. Online shopping became my new best friend in helping me to find that perfect gift! There were many things that went undone. There were things I couldn’t do and had to have help with. I needed help wrapping presents as they arrived at the door. I needed help with grocery shopping for Christmas dinner. I needed help stuffing stockings on Christmas Eve. I needed help with so much. This Christmas was so not traditional at all.

Christmas Eve was spent on the couch in a recliner watching a movie instead of making cinnamon rolls for breakfast the next day. Christmas morning, my children set up breakfast once we all started moving around. We would be waiting until the evening when we could all gather together to open gifts.

My wonderful children all worked together to put a fantastic meal together. And finally, it was time to open gifts. They waited patiently when it was time for each of them to open their special gifts. And the smiles…contagious smiles all the way around. It just warmed my heart on a a day where tradition went out the window, that we all had such a nice time. The best gift they could have given me; happy to be together.

As the this year continues, I hope that we make time to just be together. To be happy. To enjoy one another. To make time for those that are important to us. And that there are smiles; lots of contagious smiles all around.

Nov 06 2016

Capturing those special moments…

Last weekend we celebrated my daughter’s Sweet 16. This is a moment she has been looking forward to since we started planning her older sister’s Sweet 16 over five years ago. She has talked about it and talked about it for years.

We spent plenty of time planning the event, right down to what food, what it will look like, when her brothers will dance with her, when her sisters will dance with her, what the rest of the familia will be doing….it’s all been in the planning stages for what seems forever.

So it was only natural that I wanted to capture every moment. Even more so, since I love capturing those special moments with my camera. Actually, I love capturing any moment on my camera. 🙂 And the older my teens get, the more I don’t want to miss out on anything. I realize even more today, that there is only so much time left with them. Having four adult children already, there is so much that I miss. And that’s ok, they are adults and have to be about adulting. But, the only way I get to share in those moments is when they share with me what they have been doing, whether it be a conversation, a photo, or both!

Luckily, my son’s girlfriend shares a love for photographing with me. So when we celebrated family style, she was all about capturing those precious moments for me. And between the two of us, we captured a lot of memories.

But there was a precise moment, when we were all dancing together and having fun, and I thought to myself, “I need to stop and go get my camera.”

And then, it hit me. Sometimes we need to take a step back and just enjoy the moment that we are in. We just can’t capture everything on camera. And that is ok. What’s more important is for us to just relax, be in the moment, have fun, smile, and make a memory.

Capturing a moment on camera is something to be treasured.

Making a memory is something never will never be offered again.

And so, I put down my camera, and I danced. And I laughed. And I captured the moment in my heart.

Sep 25 2016

No Way!

When the Drama Queen first mentioned she wanted to go to the iHeart Radio Musical Festival, I will admit that my first thought was, “No way!” But I have learned thru the many years of being a mom that sometimes we have to shove away our thoughts of no way and listen to what is being asked.

(*Tangent* I am a firm believer of the gut as a mom. I tend to listen to what it says.)

She really wanted to go. Told me all about the artists that would be there. Said she would find a responsible friend or older sibling to go with her. And the more she talked, the more I realized that this was an opportunity being given to me to:

(A) Spend some quality time with my quickly growing daughter. I have two years left with her before she starts adulting.

(B) Show her that I am absolutely willing to have fun with her and her interests.

(D) Give her the best 16th birthday gift ever!

(E) I would get to see Sam Hunt!!!

So, we had a conversation. I told her I would absolutely let her go to the festival on one condition. I would be the one going with her. 😱

She digested for a few moments and then agreed. And over the next several weeks we listened to songs of everyone who would be there. We talked of what to expect, the artists I wouldn’t like, etc.

…and then it was time! We had to park far away and take the free shuttle. This ended up with us finally paying someone to take us so we wouldn’t miss everything. So she got to see mom negotiate and agree if he got us there quickly and didn’t wait around.

There was the many conversations with different people of all ages and who they were there to see.

There was the crazy drunk girls. And learning how to react to a situation that could end badly. And how the surrounding people were willing to work together to move away from them a little at a time: together. And the conversation of why she would never do that. And the Mama Bear in me that wasn’t about to let anyone smash my kiddo.

There was the lady who was near passing out from the crowds and heat. And how we all worked together to help the situation and get her out of there.

There was the mob. Once you are in, you are in. And slowly we made our way closer and closer with the crowd. It was crazy and loud and standing all day.

And there was the many conversations of the artists and their music. What was good, bad, and amazing. We talked about their talent and their attitudes. And yes, there was one artist who was so talented yet so inappropriate. And we talked about his lyrics and his talent and what he does with it. And it was a great conversation!

But most of all, we had a wonderful day together. We laughed and sang and danced and were exhausted and starving by the end of the day. And as we sat eating, she thanked me for going with her.

And that’s why I shoved the “no way” thought away. We would have missed out on an awesome day spent together.

As parents, we are given unique opportunities to spend with our children. Embrace them. Have fun. Live a little. Love a lot.

Jul 02 2016

Not quite the adventure we had in mind…

Today was a pretty productive day. My youngest daughter and I worked out, then we grabbed the Drama Queen and went grocery shopping, went home and made a great breakfast and watched, “Mama Mia!” We followed it off by cooking dinner together and then took the DQ to babysit.

And so since we were down to just the Princess and myself, we decided to head out to Red Rock in search of a little adventure! There really wasn’t too much…we did a little hiking and some photographing…you all know how much I love the sun!

With the day coming to a close, we headed out…only just as we exited, the car started sounding really funny….like scraping metal. At first, I thought perhaps I had somehow caught something…but I pulled over…and nothing. I could tell it was bad and coming from the front, so finally managed to get enough service to call my oldest son to come to my rescue. He brought up fond memories of him getting stuck in the middle of nowhere and needing to be rescued and how I was just like him….ha ha

We managed to get it close enough to town to call for a tow and three hours later, I finally made it home to my comfortable bed, courtesy of my son the chauffeur!

Now I’m stuck at home for the holiday weekend, which probably isn’t such a bad thing after all…