#scrapsofmylove

[scrapsofmylove]

New York City, Family of Four

Over Labor Day weekend we made our way into one of my favorite places in the entire world, one that never grows old for me no matter how long I stay or how often I visit. We’ve visited New York City countless times over the years and once spent an entire month living and working out of the borough of Manhattan, but I can never seem to get enough. My love for this city runs deep. 

We last visited in the fall as a family of four when Elias was just a two month old babe, but this time around felt even more special with both boys being able to explore more of the city and take in the new sights and sounds. Every season in this vibrant city has its own magic but summertime in the concrete jungle with these boys so young when they could run and play had it’s own special quality to it, that still leaves me daydreaming of when to visit again. 

I’m hoping growing up my boys love this city with as much as their father and I do, and have fond and frequent memories of the city that never sleeps...

[scrapsofmylove]

Rome, Italy

This last September, we took our first overseas trip with a baby to a place that had been on our bucket list for years: Italy! We didn’t have enough time to go to all of the places we wanted throughout the beautiful country (we’ll definitely be coming back for you Venice, Florence, Milan, Lake Como... the list goes on!), but we started our travels off in the city of Rome.

We spent our days in Rome exploring the historic and the touristy spots in order to see the foundations on which the beautiful city was built upon, only venturing out of our way to visit the Vatican City. My sister-in-law, Jayran, joined us on the second day of our trip as well, so the four of us had a wonderful time exploring and navigating through Rome. It goes without saying that the last warm days of summer sightseeing were dotted with delicious bursts of gelato and endless bowls of pasta, as we ate our way just as much as we trekked around the city. 

One of the things that I was most nervous about was traveling with a ten month old at the time, but Isaac ended up being the best baby travel companion that we could have asked for. He managed to sleep through the entire red eye flight on our way to Rome and besides a few late night wake-ups, he managed to adjust pretty easily to the new time zone (we definitely tried to stick to his normal schedule of feedings/nap times/etc. while we were there to help with the adjustment as well). Overall, the trip made us much more confident in knowing that we would be able to take more trips with Isaac down the road, and for it to be a pleasant experience for all of us!

[scrapsofmylove]

Isaac Catch-up 

These are back from when baby Isaac was around eight months old (almost six months ago! I’m in a constant state of confusion lately as to how fast time is flying by!), but I figured it had been a few months since I had posted anything. And honestly, there is simply not much that beats delicious baby photos (I mean, really, look at those round cheeks and chubby fingers!)... even if they are a few months late!

[scrapsofmylove]

Six Months of Life Somehow, six months have blown by since our baby Isaac was born and graced our lives with his little extraordinary presence (and I realize I’ve been horrible at updates on here during that time, but I’m finally getting back on it!). He is the heart and soul of our lives, our little monkey, the first thing that makes us smile in the mornings, our ray of sunshine, our little bunny, and our constant reminder of how fast time is flying by. 

I figured it would be a good time to post and to fill in some of the gaps from this time away, too. So here they are, in all of their glory, Isaac’s monthly photos from his first month up until now! 

[scrapsofmylove]

Welcome Baby Isaac! On the rainy, cool evening of October 27th, 2016, Isaac Alexander Moridzadeh, entered our world and forever changed our lives. It was love and excitement and apprehension and trembling and pure joy at first sight, and all of the books and the planning and preparation could not have explained or prepared us by any means for what was in store. We brought him home after our stay at the hospital and began to slowly (albeit shakily) learn the ropes of parenthood. Our love has grown tremendously and five months later, I can say without hesitation that he is the center and the light of our lives.

The photos above are from our first week at home (isn’t it crazy how fast they grow and change?!) and even though it was only a few months ago, I’m already finding myself nostalgic for the sleepy and ever so sweet newborn stage. 

I’m looking forward to all of the time, all of the love, all of the laughter, and even all of the tears that we still have in store with this beautiful being. We love you so very much, Isaac. 

[scrapsofmylove]

Elias Turns One! On a hot and sticky August afternoon at Algonkian Park, we gathered together by the Potomac River to celebrate the youngest member of our family turning a year old! How it’s possible that we’ve spent an entire trip around the sun with Elias is still a mystery to me, but it simultaneously feels like he’s always been a part of this family... I can’t remember it any other way. 

Over the last year his personality has begun to grow and shine... He can’t get enough of and adores his big brother to pieces, loves to clap and dance to the sound of music, has the most rambunctious temperament along with a constant healthy appetite for anything edible (which can be a pretty crazy combination at times), and loves to be held or on the move constantly. He’s such a big personality full of love and curiosity for the world around him, with smiles that are rare but make them that much more special when they do light up his face. 

I’m trying so hard to savor each of these sweet (and even overwhelming) little moments; I know that they’ll be gone and I’ll be reminiscing on them much sooner than I’d like. I’m so incredibly grateful to have this time with this little guy and be able to call him our own. Happy first birthday sweet baby Elias, we love you so very much! 

[scrapsofmylove]

Cherry Blossoms 2019

A few months late (which has become pretty common around here nowadays), but finally getting around to uploading some photographs from our annual trip to see the cherry blossoms in DC back in April.  We almost didn’t end up going this year since the peak blooms were on the tail end of a trip to Texas that we’d just gotten back home from, but decided at the last minute to make an attempt anyway. We got into the car and ended up in heavy traffic shortly thereafter, only to realize that everyone else in the area was trying to do the same thing (living close to DC, we sometimes forget that people from all over come into town for events like this one). Instead, we detoured to the metro and took the train into the city (two babies, a double stroller and all) on a whim, crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. We made it just in time to catch a beautiful sunset along the Tidal Basin, while walking along the water and through the crowds. 

It’s so strange how fast time flies (remember when it was just Poria and I, then we added Isaac to our adventures, and now lo and behold we’ve got our little Elias too), but looking back on these photos makes my heart so incredibly happy to see our family growing and to know that I’m able to share these experiences with my boys (and hopefully will be able to continue to do so for years to come...).

[scrapsofmylove]

Welcome Baby Elias! An entire eight months have flown by since my last update and we’ve been busier than ever! 

We’ve added the sweetest little new member to our little family, Elias Iman Moridzadeh, born on the sunny morning of August 16th, 2018 and we honestly can’t remember how we ever imagined our lives without him. He’s nearing turning seven months old and I figured now would be a good time as any to document a few photos of his first six months of life on the blog (the photographs have been continuously taken (so many photos!) despite the lack of updates). 

Little things about him remind me so much of his older brother at this age in so many ways (his love of the outdoors and his observant demeanor) but he has also already deemed his spot in the family with traits that are so incredibly unique to himself (his love of all foods, his rolling and want to get around so early on!). It is so fun to have a new personality in the midst of our family although the balancing act has gotten a bit more tricky (did we think we were busy with just one? looking back on it now, we had it so easy then! hindsight is definitely 20/20, no?). And already, we’ve celebrated holidays and birthdays together, gone museum hopping a couple of times, and have even headed on a long weekend trip to New York City as a family of four. The relationships and bonds we’ve formed in this short amount of time with Elias are incredible to witness (watching the growing relationship between siblings is especially such an understated parental joy... there truly isn’t anything that will make your heart swell with as much affection and pride as the sound of the two of them laughing together with one another).

Our hearts are so incredibly full of love for this beautiful baby boy, and we can’t wait to see how the adventures unfold for our growing family. We love you so much Elias! <3