The LaGreca Family

As most of you know, Joe has been brewing beer for a few years now. If you remember last year, Joe and his friend, Dan, won 1st place for one of their beers at the Del Mar Fair (and I was exactly 20 weeks pregnant). This year, Joe entered a few beers, but unfortunately, didn’t place in any category….sad sigh. But, we had a nice time walking around and I got a few cute pictures of Nicholas. Last weekend was definitely an “outdoor weekend” – Beach on Saturday, Fair on Sunday.

“Nick News” – Today marks Nicholas’ 8 month “birthday”…unbelievable! He has really grown in the last month. He is rolling all over the place. He is trying so hard to crawl but hasn’t figured out that he has to push himself up with his arms. I am sure he will have it figured out in the next few weeks. He seems very determined to get places and rolling doesn’t always result in the destination he was aiming for. He is still eating like a boy…a LOT! He eats everything we give him. Sometimes, he just opens his mouth and doesn’t even pay attention to what you give him. His 2 bottom teeth continue to grow everyday and I believe he will have a few more break through very soon (read below “Parent Update” for more on that). And…it never gets old to take pictures of him..as you have seen in every post/album.

“Parent Update” – The last few days & nights have been rough. I am convinced someone took my very happy (decent night sleeper) little boy & traded him for an incredibly sad, crying (up most of the night screaming) little boy. Joe and I are pretty sure Nicholas is in pain — this teething thing is awful! I guess some kids take it worse than others. Nicholas isn’t handling it well at all. And I have to admit, it’s getting to me. I honestly feel like I don’t even know him. We have done everything we can to make him comfortable..and sometimes, it doesn’t seem like anything works. And…Nicholas is still an awful napper. So, we don’t get much of a break during the day. After church today, he took a 15 minute nap. 15 minutes! I don’t think I even finished the dishes and he was already crying.

This week, I will be praying for patience for me…comfort for Nicholas….and understanding for Joe (he will need it with a cranky baby and a tired wife).

There are many reasons to love San Diego – I won’t bore you with all of them. But, I will mention one of my favorite reasons about living where we live in San Diego, (those of you who have visited have probably heard me say this a million times). We live “about 20 minutes” from everything. The airport, downtown, Del Mar, the border…..and THE BEACH! Since I grew up in Turlock, the beach was AT least 2 hours away (and San Francisco really isn’t “the beach”).

I think it’s SO cool that we can jump in the car (after packing all the baby’s stuff, of course) and head West for “about 20 minutes” and we land in the Pacific Ocean. I have been here on and off for 10+ years and I still find that amazing.

So, when it was 104 degrees at our house on Saturday…we decided to pack up, and head to La Jolla Shores. (It was 91 degrees at the beach..which is insanely HOT!) I guess it was a momentous occasion for the LaGreca family since the youngest LaGreca had never been in the ocean.

We found a little patch of sand that had yet to be occupied and set up “camp.” The little man looked out into the sea of people..and the great open sea.

Joe couldn’t wait to take “the boy” (yes, that is what we call him) into the water. And here it is..drum roll please….NCL’s 1st touch of that great body of water known as the Pacific Ocean.

Joe said that Nicholas wasn’t too sure about the water. My Dad and Joe took him out a little ways (you can view all the pictures in the album..see the link at the end of this post).

After being in the water for a bit, Joe brought him back to shore and tried his feet one more time. Joe thinks this look is because Nicholas thought the water was cold. I am pretty sure this is the look that ALL people give when they TASTE the ocean…ICK!

This could be considered “baby torture”:

We got the hint. Nicholas was ready to head back to the “dry camp” and have a snack.

This kid has SO many faces and looks. I am SO very glad we have a digital camera and I can just snap away as much as I want & try to capture all the “Nicholas expressions”

See the album here.

It’s been so warm in San Diego the past week. I think it’s supposed to be over 100 degrees at our house today! That is WAY too hot. But – we have our air running and we LOVE it!

One night this week, we hung out in the backyard after dinner (it was probably still 80+ degrees out) and I snapped a bunch of pictures of Joe & Nicholas playing.

More pictures in the June album.

This past Saturday, I managed to sneak away from the house after laying Nicholas down for a nap – and I got my hair cut! It’s the shortest it’s been in years! I wasn’t too sure about it the first few days..but now it’s growing on me. With working, and a baby, and summer….I didn’t want to bother with my hair everyday. It gets old!

What do you think?

You know they say “pictures are worth a thousand words?” Sometimes that is SO true. I could probably write a thousand words about Father’s Day and how amazing Joe is at this new job. I might be repeating myself…but that’s ok! He deserves the praise. Nicholas is such a lucky little boy to have Joe as his Dad. I think he already knows that. It sure will be fun to watch them grow together in the coming years. I look forward to taking many more pictures with the 2 of them. Hope you enjoyed the brief trip down “memory lane.” Joe – Happy Father’s Day! You are the BEST! Thanks for being the rock in our family. We love ya!

Pictures from “Father’s Day Photo Shoot” –> Click here.