I trust HIM, I really do...

Ok, so I haven't blogged in a really long time. It's not necessarily a bad thing; we had a very fun-filled summer what with Ryan & Michelle in town from England and our trip to Newport Beach, CA. Speaking of which, I should blog about our beach trip; we have a lot of good pictures (maybe next time)! But, what brings me to blog today is an aching heart. In fact, it's difficult to hold back the tears as I'm typing, but here it goes.

Javier and I have been trying to have another baby since May of 2008 with no luck. I'd say it's frustrating, but that would be an understatement. It's down right aggravating and disappointing. My heart aches on a monthly basis, not to mention the waiting and anticipation of the 2-3 weeks prior to my AF in hopes of "maybe this will be the month that we can celebrate!". And when my AF does creep up on me, I usually say to myself, "I can't do this anymore...I'm sick of this". But, a week or two later, my desire for another child outweighs my frustrations.

There has been 1 positive realization to come out of all of this frustration and that is this: I was so incredibly blessed to get pregnant with my first 3 by just thinking about it. All of them were planned and I got them when I wanted them. Spoiled, I know. But that is what I am used to, so this 16 + month period of being in limbo has me all coiled inside. Maybe that's the problem? I am being impatient, I guess, but I feel that it should have happened by now.

During all of this time, I have noticed some differences with my body compared to before I became pregnant with my other children. I have a friend who has been diagnosed with PCOS or Poly-Cystic Ovary Syndrome. A couple of nights ago we were talking and I was telling her about some of my frustrations (which were heightened this month due to me seeing my OBGYN to explore possible fertility solutions). Throughout our discussion it seemed that the somewhat recent differences in my body resemble those of her symptoms associated with PCOS. Earlier this year I was concerned about having PCOS myself, but I brushed it aside thinking I was making something out of nothing. Why on earth would I do that? I mean, I have a lot of pain 2-3 weeks out of every month...why would I ignore pain? I'll tell you why; I have been so focused on getting pregnant, that is all I cared about. I admit, it's pretty stupid to ignore signs from my body that something may by wrong.

Yesterday I looked up the symptoms of PCOS and I do have about 60-70% of the symptoms associated with that condition. I really hope I don't have it; heart attacks, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are all the risks of having PCOS. What a bummer for those who have been diagnosed with this condition, of which there is no cure (from what I have read).

My best friend has recently been battling the horrible possibility of MS. She has had a lot of tests done and was told by her neurologist that she has a 95% likelihood of having MS. She too ignored her symptoms; she has felt something "off" with her body for 4 years! The good thing is that we both eventually told ourselves "enough is enough, we need to find out what is going on".

As I was reading her blog today about listening to our bodies, I couldn't help but agree with her point wholeheartedly. Women ARE intuitive. That's what makes us good moms...it's what makes us women. I have a cousin who put her young child down to take a nap in a closet at our grandmother's house. She just had this itching feeling that she needed to check on her young daughter and when she did, she caught the little girl playing with a dress covered in a dry-cleaning bag. I believe she actually had this bag in her face or close to it. Nothing bad happened and my cousin removed all the clothing from within the child's reach and continued to allow the little girl to nap. The possibility of what might have happened had my cousin not listened to her intuition is frightening. WE NEED TO LISTEN TO OUR BODIES...they do tell us if something is wrong or just 'not right'.

Perhaps, there is something just 'not right' with my body which is preventing me from getting pregnant. If that is the case, I know that God put doctors on earth to help us and maybe there are options for us to conceive. Perhaps I am completely healthy and it's just not in Heavenly Father's plan for me to have a 4th baby yet or ever. To which I ask Him "why do you hate me so much that you won't let me have another baby?". Upon telling my husband I felt this way occasionally, he replied "you need to hear the story in the Book of Jobe". So, he told me the story. It made me cry, it moved me. Javier thinks that my question to Him was about losing faith in Heavenly Father, but I corrected him, "even Jobe complained and that's what I am doing, complaining". It is difficult sometimes to accept the things in life of which I have no control over. My heart wants what it wants and who am I to ignore that? But, I have never, nor will I ever, lose faith in Jesus or Heavenly Father...it's not who I am. Even before I became LDS, I had a lot of faith in God. And now being a member of The Church, I have even more faith than before!

I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us all. That actually makes me thrilled because I don't think we could handle that kind of responsibility on our own. If He doesn't want us to have another child, I trust it's because it's for the best. That doesn't mean that I will stop trying anytime in the next 5 years or so (I am not above fertility treatments), but at least I do have faith. I also believe that He is always trying to teach us lessons and things about life and thereafter. I can actually take a lesson out of all of this heartache I have experienced, not just with the inability to conceive a 4th baby thus far, but with getting shot in the head and losing my mother at such a young age.

I think for many of us earthlings it is so easy to think about what we don't have rather than be grateful for what we do have. So here is the lesson that I have loved to learn: to cherish the blessings that Heavenly Father has given us...which are PLENTIFUL! My life with my husband and 3 children is fruitful, loving, happy and overall IMMENSELY BLESSED! To which I say to God THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! And I know He doesn't hate me at all. He LOVES me and all of us :)

A Swim in a Waterpark, well...sorta

A few weekends ago, our friends John and Kelly invited us to go swimming at The Pointe Tapatio Resort where they were staying.

Bird's eye view of: The Pointe at Tapatio

The place has like 5 pools, one of which is referred to as The Falls. Just to walk into The Falls they ask you for your name and room number, plus you have to wear a wristband.

The pool was nice, I must say. Abundant with, you guessed it, waterfalls...as well as a water volleyball area and a separate beach-like entrance on one side (which provides a shallow area), making it more enjoyable with small children. However, the most impressive and popular thing about this pool is the fabulous waterslide!

Waterslides

They also have a lazy river, which was a little too boring for my broad, but I still think it's worth mentioning! Lazy River
After zipping down the totally enclosed waterslide, it dumps you into a small, moderately deep wading pool that is for the exiters of the waterslide only ( just like all the waterparks have). Both Christopher and Marley went down twice and Javier went once. I totally got gypped on the waterslide, but that's okay because I got to swim and have fun with Jaxon!

Anyways, Jaxon and I waited in the nearby pool which had a perfect view of the waterslide exit. Javier had to be "ball-ready" (hands-free) to help Marley/Christopher get out of the wading pool safely, so neither of us got a picture of our kids coming out of the slide...bummer! So, you all will have to settle for pictures of them after we were done swimming:

Christopher: happy to be swimming!

Christopher & Marley: not too thrilled to leave, but happy nonetheless.

Jaxon: fish outta water!

Thank you, Kelly & John!!!

Swimming season is here and Jaxon is prepared

This little cutie patootie absolutely refused to wear floaties last year.

Now, I can't keep them off of him...he even fell asleep on the couch with them still attached! Jaxon just tickles me pink with his antics.

Dude, you have to try this...

If you love banana nut bread, then you will love this cereal.
Seriously dudes, it's good :)

Marley is growing up...

and faster than her parents prefer.

Can you believe it's already been 5 years since our little Marley blessed us with her presence?!

Our home would be a little more dull and quiet without our darling princess.

Javier and I have a saying around here, "when Marley is away from our family, she is the missing spice". You know when you are cooking and the dish is missing a certain spice and once you figure out what that spice is, it completes the dish? That's what Marely is to our family, we are incomplete without her and when she's around everthing feels right.

Marley has a shining personality and being the center of attention is just what she loves! We always say that she will follow her Tata's steps into the spotlight and if/when she becomes famous, we won't be surprised! She gets along with EVERYONE she comes into contact with and is unforgettable to her teachers. Her teachers even go as far to say that she could be a Teacher's Assistant due to how much she helps and reasons with the other students! They have even recruited her to help with potty training on some of the stubborn students!

Marley is a great conversationalist and we find ourselves laughing hysterically during many of our conversations with her. She is a girly-girl to the max, what with her clothing, shoe, makeup and hair obsessions, which is perfect for me since I love all those things too!

Marley is fast to forgive and has a sweet soul that warms your heart. You can always find her wearing a smile, in fact...she started smiling at 2 weeks and she hasn't stopped since!

Our Father in Heaven blessed us tremenously with our beautiful daughter Marley Juliette!

Happy 5th Birthday, Marley Mae!

Our Roadtrip to Pinetop, Snowflake & Payson

Javier had to work March 5th & 6th in Snowflake, so all 5 of us went up to stay in Pinetop (it's only 40 minutes away) for 3 nights. We also stayed in Payson on the 4th night to make the drive home on Sunday less straining on everyone, but this post is not about Payson...it's about Snowflake!

We had a fabulous time in all 3 cities, Pinetop and Snowflake were absolutely freezing with temps in the 40's and icey wind gusts making it feel at least 10 degrees colder. It rained early Friday morning in Pinetop and Sunrise Ski resort reported 1 foot of snow from that little storm! Even though these temps are pretty cold, we really welcomed them since temps in Phoenix had reached record highs (90 degrees in March is too much!).

Here's a hint about what we saw in Snowflake:

and...

That's right, it's the Snowflake Temple. Friday morning I dropped off and picked up Javier from his meeting in Snowflake. While we were there, we drove to the Snowflake Temple and the local Stake building. The Snowflake temple is gorgeous, it sits upon the tallest hill in the city and you can see it from anywhere in Snowflake. We couldn't go inside-even the visitors center was closed. I'm not really sure why it was closed on Friday, but if I had to guess I would say it was due to the temperature and the wind blowing so incredibly hard that the wrought iron gate surrounding the temple was shaking vigorously and you could hear the loud clanking from inside our van.

Anyway, I took a few pictures of this awesome building...Front View of the Temple

This is etched above the enterence.

Side view

Gorgeous Golden Statue

They have a new community of houses surrounding the Temple and some of those houses are gigantic and right next to the Temple, like this house down the hill. What you see to the left of the temple is all 1 house! What a great neighborhood!

Then we drove to the biggest Ward/Stake building we have ever seen! This building sits right on the main highway which runs through the city...check out it's hugeness:

Sorry about the glare, but isn't this building huge?! It appears to be 2 stories!

I love the country feeling it sends out!

These amazing statues are situated on the front-right side of the Stake building and they represent the LDS settlers who first arrived in Snowflake (and surrounding areas)...Brother Flake and Elder Snow.

I snapped a photo of the plaque in front of these statues that explains the history of how Snowflake was founded and by whom. Perhaps you can zoom in to read it, I found it pretty interesting...

We had a grand time on our trip and we feel so happy that we could experience our first viewing of the Snowflake Temple together as a family. Our kids thought the buildings and hills were awesome, but it will take a little more time for them to fully understand how magnificent the Temples really are. We feel so blessed that they will have these memories to tap into when they do come to realize what it all means.

What a Happy Weekend!

What did you do?

No pictures, but

I still wanted to toot my own horn: I've lost 15 lbs. in the last 4-5 weeks! Yay me!

So far, all I've done is eat less at night. Overeating during the day was never my issue because I'm too busy during the daylight hours to eat. It's when the kids are in bed and I'm watching TV that I want to snack it up. So, I usually don't eat after dinner or if I do need something to snack on I pick fruit or veggies. I still have quite a ways to go, but I am very pleased thus far with my progress. Now, I just need to incorporate exercise into my agenda and I'll be fit in no time!

What a fantastic start to 2009!

TOOT! TOOT!

P.S. The Armenta broad welcomed a new member today: Joseph. He is a premie since he came 1 month early, but baby and mom are fabulous! I still haven't seen him, but stay tuned for more info & pictures.

This is why I chose to be a Stay-At-Home Mom

I am having difficulty sleeping tonight (perhaps anxiety regarding my little vacay tomorrow?) and therefore I am catching up on some very neglected recorded TV shows. At the end of the recording was the beginning of the next program which happened to be the daytime news. I decided to watch...little did I know that I would hear a heart wrenching story which occured at a day care and ended in a child's death. I hate to be bad news bears here, but this is why I dislike watching the news. Sometimes I say to myself "hey, find out what's going on in the world; watch the news...you're sorta outta the loop". I turn the news on and bam...somebody left a baby on the side of the road or a police crew just busted a meth lab with baby bottles next to the chemicals. Then, I wonder why I even bothered. I get way too bummed out. And after seeing this clip about a woman arrested at a day care, I am pratically bawling. So, even though I should be sleeping, I am complaining about how depressed the news makes me.
However, I am also patting myself on the back for making one of the best decisions of my life to be a stay-at-home Mom (granted, an easy decision for me). But part of my decision was based on the fact that you can't trust nanny's or day care workers to NOT HURT your child. Sure, there are great people out there working with kids, but I was never going to take the chance. Check out the article (which contains a different clip in it than the one I saw tonight): http://www.kpho.com/news/18477620/detail.html

I'm not sure why this story is making me so upset, but it could be that today has been a little gloomy with the passing of a family member leaving me more emotional than usual. Of course, it could be PMS too :)
Anyway, I just had to complain about how irritating it is to turn on the news. And mention how HAPPY I am knowing my children are always safe at home with Mom & Dad :). Phew!

Someone Pinch Me and Tell Me it's NOT True

Jaxon just turned 3 years old on December 18th and so he started preschool. His first day was this past Tuesday, January 6th. He goes to Camelview Preschool, which is the same one both of my other kids attend/attended. He gets bussed to and from and seems to really enjoy the whole experience (especially the bus ride).

It wasn't until I saw this...

that I realized babies don't attend Preschool. Wow, time flies when you're lovin' life. It seems that my kids are ALL growing up quicker than Javier and I are ready for. Where is Father Time when you need him to pause the clocks to take a moment to smell the flowers...or the baby powder scented baby lotion which brings back thousands of precious memories?

Check out the happy face of a new preschooler...

Enough with the Nostalgia for today. But I did want to mention how grateful I am that I am 8 days away from turning 30 years old (Javier turns today!), I have a fabulous husband and 3 healthy, happy, adorable kiddies and I have started the New Year with a 5+ pound weight loss!

Javier's First Day

Today is Javier's first day of work at his new job Delta Dental! Yay! I hope he has a great day and is happy with his new job.

Not so fun facts:

• Javier got fired through no fault of his own. Unless, of course, you count him not becoming best buddies with his woman boss his fault. She was a real pain in the neck and I'm glad to be rid of her.


• We filed for unemployment immediately and after 7 weeks, have yet to see one penny that Javier's hard earned paychecks paid into. Ugh...


• After we waited at the DES office together for 6 hours on a "standby appointment", we were approved for AHCCCS and Food Stamps, which helped ease our stress somewhat. Therefore, we were never without medical insurance.


• Javier initially applied to 8 qualified employers and only got called back by Aflac, who then wanted him to pay $350 to get his insurance sales license and work on strictly commission. He decided not to take this job since there wasn't a guaranteed paycheck.

• Then, he applied to another 12 qualified employers and didn't get called back. Needless to say, Javier was frustrated.



• After a few days of not getting any call backs, he decided he had to apply to anyone who would hire him. So, he applied to places close to home like Macy's at the Biltmore, Safeway, Fry's etc.



• All together he send out nearly 30 applications, all via the internet, which is how everyone prefers it these days. I remember the days when you would apply in person and sometimes get an interview on the spot and sometimes get hired on the spot too. Ahh, the old days!


• He was hired by Safeway on a Tuesday and scheduled to go through training on the following Tuesday.


• That same afternoon, he received a phone call from a gentleman from Delta Dental, who Javier knows through working together when Javier worked for The Segal Company (2004-2005). Although, this gentleman (whose name escapes me currently) had interviewed several worth candidates, he was holding off on hiring anyone until he interviewed Javier.


• Javier went to the "interview" on Friday (only 3 days after he was hired at Safeway), which was breakfast at the The Good Egg with his aquantance and was hired on the spot.


• Apparently the National Consultant from The Segal Company told the man from Delta Dental that Javier is "very smart, competent and hard working. It would be in your company's best interest to hire him on the spot". That man deserves a Thank You card in the least.


• Can you believe that after 30 applications and basically no calls for 6 weeks, Javier gets 2 jobs in 1 week?!


• Although Javier did have to take a bit of a pay cut and there is a 3 month waiting period for benefits, it's a job that Javier will excel at and it won't create any stress or long hours.


• His title is Large Account Manager, which should be a walk in the park for Javier.


• We feel very blessed to have Javier working again. We loved having him home...he is such a great helper (he helped to clean the house, do laundry, cook, etc) and it was nice to spend a lot of quality time with him. I know that Javier feels his position in this family is to provide and without a job he felt a little lost. There has definitely been a little extra hop in his step lately and I don't doubt it's due to him feeling happy about his position in our family, once again!

Perfect Guacamole

4 Avocadoes, finely chopped

1 Roma Tomato, finely chopped (with seeds and "gel" removed)

1/2-1 cup of Cilantro, chopped (I use a handful)

1 Serrano Chile, finely chopped (I include the seeds for more kick)

1/2 cup of White Onion, finely chopped

the juice of 1 lime or 2-3 key limes

2 cloves of garlic, crushed (I use Pampered Chef's Garlic Crusher)

1/2 -1 tablespoon of Garlic Salt (depending on your taste)

In a flat bottom bowl or plasticware container (for easier mashing), add tomato, cilantro, serrano chile, onion, lime, glarlic and garlic salt and mash together to incorporate spices and flavors.

If you own a molcajete, you may use that, which will yield better results. I wish I had one.

Then, add avocadoes and gently mash together with other ingredients. Make sure not to mash avocadoes too firmly as to keep the integrity of the chunks. Do not use the molcajete for this because it will mash the avocadoes too much.

You may enjoy immediately, however, for best results allow to chill covered in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to infuse.

In the end, you will get this (please excuse the lack of tomato, I was out when I made this):

Your taste buds will be begging for seconds and thirds and fourths, etc.

Our little Jack-O-Lantern

William Jaxon

I realized I don't do enough posts about Jaxon or Javier. So, now I tribute a post to my youngest, Jaxon, who will be turning 3 years old in 2 months. (sigh) Ahh, how time flies by when you are lovin' life :)



Some things you may or may not know about Jaxon:

• He is my sweetest child out of the 3. He is always ready to give/receive a kiss, hug and cuddles. Not just to Javier and me, but to at least a dozen others.
• He is a true "mommas boy" through and through. He still gets upset when I leave and is the happiest when I return.
• He has a very funny personality, always making Javier and me laugh. The picture above when he put on the old lady hat is a perfect example of the funny little things he does throughout the day.
• His favorite TV show is Crashbox on HBO. It targets children 7 years and up and he absolutely goes bananas for the educational program, which makes his parents happy :)
• He loves books and lets me read to him endlessly. What is particularly funny is when I let him look at a few books by himself, he pretends to read the stories to himself.
• He enjoys spending a lot of time playing on the swing set, especially the swings. He can't quite swing himself yet, so we help push him. I imagine him swinging A LOT when he can fly solo.
• He loves having his picture taken and always puts on a nice smile for me :)
• His blankets are his life and he carries them around everywhere with him. Even to church nursery...however, he isn't the only kid with a blanket in there.
• He has several nicknames: Jackie, Jax, Jack, Jack-Jack & Sugar Bugar.

He is a perfect boy for our family and we love him dearly. I referred to him as Jack-O-Lantern because there is so much light in him and he spreads it around. We feel so blessed to have him in our lives :)

A-Z Survey...anything to distract me from a football game I could care less about :)

A

• Are you avail​able?​:​ nope...I'm involved in a relationship known as marriage!

• What is your age?​:​ turning 30 in 3 months and glad to be almost done with my 20's, phew!

• What annoy​s you?​:​ the fact that technology doubles itself every 18 months...who can keep up?

B

• Do you know anyon​e named​ Billy​?​ Yes, Jaxon's first name is William.

• When is your birth​day?​:​ January 16th

C

• Curre​nt mood:​ Anxious. I can't wait until this football game is over and we can watch a movie.

• Favor​ite candy​?​ hot tamales

• Your curre​nt Crush​?​ the one and only Javier

• When was the last time you cried​?​ over a month ago and I'm pretty sure it was "the time of the month", so that explains that...sorta!

D

• Do you daydr​eam?​:​ ugh, yes and it's annoying when I want or need to listen :)

• What'​s your favor​ite kind of dog?​:​Though they shed like crazy, German Shepherds or St. Bernards

• What day of the week is it?: Saturday

E

• How do you like your eggs?​:​ scrambled with onion, tomato, cilantro, potatos, homemade salsa and corn tortillas...mmm.

• Ever met an eleph​ant?​ no, but that would be super sweet!

F

• Do you use fly swatt​ers?​ oh yeah, I dislike flies to the 10th degree

• Have you ever used a fogho​rn?​:​ nope, what a weird question

• Is there​ a fan in your room?​:​ There has to be so I don't have a sweat driven break down! Javier always says I'm a fan natzi

G

• Do you chew gum? I try to keep a constant supply, but I have this gum thief otherwise known as Marley...

• Do you like gory movie​s?​:​ not too much, depends on the movie

• Who'​s gay?​:​ if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you (dumb question)

H

• How are you doing​?​ okay, looking forward to scary movie called The Happening, woooh!

• What'​s your heigh​t?5'5"

• What color​ is your hair?​ New hassle-free brown. That is the name on the hair color tube, lol.

I

• What'​s your favor​ite ice cream​?​:​ I like Gelato Spot...any of their fruit flavors is good and healthy. Score for me :)

• Have you ever ice skate​d?​:​ yep, I even took lessons when I was 6 and I still stink

• Ever been in an igloo​?​:​ no, but my sister and I came across one on the Pinetop Country Club golf course. We thought about going inside, but were too scared since it seemed a little small for teenagers. It looked like it could fit a kid or dog.

J

• What'​s your favor​ite Jelly​ Bean?​:​ I like Starburst Jelly Beans, yum!

• Do you wear jewel​ry?​:​ just the typical married woman stuff, but I'd love a new necklace...hint, hint Javier!

Are you jealo​us?​:​ um, yes. Of women who have babies and then are back into their regular clothes after 2 weeks, then bearing their bellies after 4 weeks. Nicole and Melissa come immediately to mind...ugh!

K

• Who do you want to kill?​:​ Um, NO. Why would I reduce myself to the likes of those jerky serial shooters who tried to kill me?

• Have you ever flown​ a kite?​:​ yep, love it!

Do you think​ kanga​roos are cute?​:​ just young ones; adults and newborns are ugly.

L

• Are you laid back?​:​ ha ha ha ha ha! no.

• Lions​ or tiger​s?​:​ I know they say lion's are the king of the jungle, but tigers just have cooler markings.

• Do you like black​ licor​ice?​:​only the Good & Plenty's.

M

• Ever shopp​ed at Moose​jaw?​:​ I have never even heard of it

• Favor​ite store​ at the mall?​:​ Besty Johnson.so much pink, so much money• Do you have a nickn​ame?​:​ Mis, Missy (which I still hate), Mel, Reilly (there are 3 melissas at work), babe, hun, mommy (is that a nickname?) and Bella has just decided to call me "Miss Mommy" whatever•

N

Do you prefe​r night​ or day?​:​ night; playtime with the kids, booktime, cuddle time with kids and sometimes hubby and SLEEP!

O

• What'​s your one wish?​:​ eternal happiness for everyone around me and myself

• Are you an only child​?​ no, thank goodness my parents did me that favor :)

• Do you like the color​ orang​e?​:​ well, it is a Phoenix Suns color, so yeah.

P

• What are you most paran​oid about​?​:​ getting pregnant and not losing this excess weight

• Pierc​ings?​:​ just my ears

• Do you know anyon​e named​ Penel​ope?​:​ nope

Q

• Are you quick​ to judge​ peopl​e?​:​ maybe sometimes, but I try to be open minded

​• Do you like Quake​r Oats?​:​ oh yes, with brown sugar and raisins...yum!

• Know anyon​e that makes​ quilt​s?​: ha! I know one of the best quilters every, my aunt Pam. Oh, and I have made a few cute ones too :) (though they don't compare to Pam's work)

R

• Do you think​ you'​re alway​s right​?​:​ yes! It just so happens that I am actually always right :)

• Do you watch​ reali​ty TV?: yep. We watch Survivor & Dancing with the Stars right now.

• Reaso​n to cry?​: happy, sad, frustrated, watching a sad/happy movie, babies who won't sleep.

S

• Do you prefe​r sun or rain?​:​ I like a super rainy weekend, but then I miss the sun. So, BOTH!

• Do you like snow?​ not on me, but I love to go up the the mountains during the winter

• Whats​ your favor​ite seaso​n?​ Spring/Fall tie for me. They are both so pleasant here in Phoenix.

T

• What time is it?: 9 pm.

• What time did you wake up?: I don't know because I woke up in Payson and was out of my realm. I think it was around 7:30...thanks Javier and Julia who let me sleep in :)

U

• Can you ride a unicy​cle?​:​ I actually had friends who had one and NO, it's so hard!

• Do you know anyon​e with a unibr​ow?​:​ I know a few, I just want to grap my tweezers...

• How many uncle​s do you have?​:​ 3 uncles, 2 step-uncles

V

• What'​s the worst​ veget​able?​:​ jicama and brussel sprouts are on the bottom of my list. Everything else is just dandy!

W

• What'​s your worst​ habit​?​:​ eating after dinner, no wonder I'm super chubby right now.

• Do you like water​ rides​?​:​ oh yes!

• Ever been insid​e a windm​ill?​:​ no

X

• Have you ever had an x-​ray?​:​ yes, along with CAT scan and MRI

• Ever used a Xerox​ machi​ne?​:​ yeah, I don't live under a rock

Y

• Do you like the color​ yello​w?​ yes, I love it!

• What year were you born in?: 1979

• Do you yell when you'​re angry​?​:​ I have been known to, occasionally :)

Z

• Do you belie​ve in the zodia​c?​:​ I find it interesting, but I would never base my life on it

• What'​s your zodia​c sign?​:​ capricorn-which I have tatooed on myself. Parents were not happy.

Christopher Turns 6!

Christopher's 6th birthday was the talk of the house around here for the past few months. I worked really hard at getting Christopher to remember his birthday. What ended up working is that we told him that people won't be able to wish him a happy birthday or get him a present if he can't tell them when his birthday is. Worked like a charm...he remembered it in lickity split :) I fact, he went so far as to say his birthday this year is "September 16, 2008", which we thought was pretty cute.

On his actual birthday, I made an awesome Whipped cream-Cream cheese with Strawberries Cake for him. That is, in fact, the official name ;) I think he liked it, but that he thought it was a little rich because he didn't want any leftovers of the cake. Oh well, more fore everyone else! The cake was fun to make it and even more fun to perform "quality control". In case anyone is wondering, I prefer baking to cooking anytime.

His birthday party was extremely small. It was really last minute and so I only invited one other family with boys, The Verdon's. They have 3 boys, all around the same age of my 3 kids. Their names are Malik-5 years, Gabriel-4 years and Trey-20 months. It was a lot of fun, but I could kick myself for not being more "camera ready". I only got pictures of the very end, when he was opening his presents. The main things I would love pictures of are: 1.the kids hitting the life size Superman Pinata, 2. the "Party Animal" cupcakes from Cupcakes, which were heavenly, 3. It seems I got a picture of everyone except Javier, Papa, GiGi and Uncle Phil...geez, what is up with my complete lack of photography skills?...Bummer.

Christopher was so excited about one of his Transformer's toys, he didn't want to look at the camera.

Tearing into the presents.

Marley: trying to be helpful ;)

Malik
Gabe

Trey

Fran Verdon (mother of the 3 nice boys) and TiTi enjoying some adult time.

Grandma Merle.

Though she looks totally unhappy here, she was actually very pleased to be at our house around all of the family.

Christopher seemed to really enjoy himself. Happy 6th Birthday! OXOXO

*Sorry about the photos not being too great; I used the wrong camera which does not take good indoor-at-night pictures.*
**Special Thanks to Javi, my dad and sister for their help. We all appreciate it :)

Marley's New 'Do

I call this hairstyle Braided Headband. I got the idea from this blog for shorter hair styles and here is the original idea that I tweeked a little.

See how happy she is when I fix her hair?I started with an off center part and did the braided headband down both sides of her head. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a photo that showed her side part. In the top 2 photos, her side part is at the top of each picture and virtually impossible to see, but you get the idea, right?

I wasn't sure how I wanted to end the style, but I knew I didn't want to end it like the original does, with all the hair in the middle of hear head out and curled. Marley was going to school this day and I wanted it tight and neat. So, I parted the hair down the center of her head, from the top of the headband to the nape of her neck.
Then, I just did a low braid and wrapped it around the last pony/elastic of the headband on the same side. I secured it by just wrapping an elastic around the whole wrapped ponytail. Since she has naturally curly hair, I didn't need to take a curling iron to it, but I would have otherwise. The 3rd picture shows how I wrapped the braid around the last elastic of the braided headband a little better than this one.

Christopher and the Treasure Chest

In Christopher's Kindergarten class, his teacher, Ms. Wilson, has a system of acheiving stars throughtout the day. For instance, there are 4 main groups: followed directions, completed work, kept hands to self and worked and listened quietly. These main groups are on a grid on a paper that goes home every day so we can see if he got stars in all 4 of those groups. However, she also looks for other things throughout the day like: shared without being asked to, helped w/o being asked to, followed directions on the first request. All of which a student can accumulate stars for. At this point in the school year, a student can get 7 stars in one day (including the 4 from the main groups) and they will eventually build up to a total of 10 per day. Well, should any student on any day accumulate the maximum number of stars, he/she can pick any one item from the classroom Treasure Chest. So far, Christopher has gotten to chose something from the Treasure Chest 3 times in the last 2 weeks (she just implimented the plan 3 weeks ago). So, needless to say, we are pretty proud of him and he of himself as well! Score for everyone involved, especially Ms. Wilson!
Christopher, being such a goofy guy, picked out these sunglasses that happened to be from Old Navy (I know this because they came in an Old Navy pouch). We couldn't help but to laugh hysterically at his choice! Who knows what prompted him to pick out this pair of sunglasses, rather than a remote car or something I would guess would be his first choice, but he was very proud of his choice, nonetheless.
Once I told him I wanted to take a picture of him wearing the sunglasses he was game. He even thought that one of his poses should be lying on the ground!

"License and Registration, Please"....

Doesn't he look like a Police Officer from the early 90's?

Coming Soon: Wait until I scan the picture he drew of his family. You will be howling!