One Family, Many Lives

An Ethiopian Update: Too Sweet!

2010-12-24T05:12:00.005-06:00

I know it's not the 14th but just wanted to share a quick update as we get ready for the Christmas holidays. We received an email last week from our agency. Our application has been received/processed and we are now working on the next step... our home study! I have heard they can be sweet and painless or long and worry-some. Can you guess which I'm hoping for?

I was thinking today that maybe next year we will be needing a new ornament to represent our adoption for our Christmas tree. That's where I found this ornament/tag (purchase here). Too sweet.

What Would My Own T-Shirt Say?

2010-12-19T19:26:00.004-06:00

Have any of you all seen this article? "The force is with you, Katie" It's about a lil girl who loved Star Wars until friends at school teased her for using a Star Wars water bottle and told her that Star Wars was for boys.

Katie not only loves Star Wars but she is Jewish, has a weak eye that requires wearing a patch and is adopted. She was heartbroken but decided she didn't want to add one more thing to her list of "what makes me different" and decided to no longer carry her favorite water bottle to school. Katie's mom has a blog, Portrait of An Adoption, and she wrote about how the experience affected her daughter. As you all in the blog world know, Katie's story caught on and the blog world rallied around her. This little girl has gotten to attend some cool Star Wars events, has received so many Star Wars toys that she is giving the majority of them away and more!

People started talking about teasing and bullying and about teaching our kids that it's ok to be different. I love that! Katie's school took it one step further and hosted an, "I'm Proud to Be Me!" day at school - a day that would allow all kids to wear a t-shirt that shows who they are and what makes them unique. I love-love that!

I hope to organize the same day at my daughter's school and am emailing our PTA President and Principal the article and my idea. I'm excited to hear their responses and will be sure to keep you all posted.

Until then, I'm off to think about what my own t-shirt would say!

Our Ethiopian Christmas + An Update

2010-12-14T01:45:00.014-06:00

This past Saturday, some of us the families who are part of the DFW Ethiopia Babies yahoo group got together to celebrate Christmas. It was so much fun! We were able to meet new families, catch up with friends, meet potential traveling partners (wink, wink) and hug enough adorable children to last us til we meet again!

And now for our update. Thankfully, we have a very understanding agency (we love Gladney!) who understands the aggravating predicament we are in regarding this whole TX driver's license. So what does all this mean? While we work on obtaining Harold's driver's license, we can go ahead and submit our application! Yay... soooo excited!!!

A Sprinkle of Christmas Cheer...

2010-12-06T20:18:00.007-06:00

...is exactly what I needed. It seems just when we are taking one step forward, we end up taking two steps back. Our car needs a new transmission and enrolling both girls in a camp for the Christmas break is going to be much more expensive than I anticipated. Booooo!

Today we dropped off the car at the mechanic, got our tree set-up and started decorating it. As soon as we started unpacking our ornaments I knew we would be ok. Our family is healthy, the girls are happy and together we are going to accomplish great things!Lucia saw this tree and insisted I buy it and sent it to her brothers in Ethiopia (love that girl!). I was able to convince her that we could send a picture much quicker and she was fine with that as long as she got to hold the tree. Yes, she is wearing dress shoes with her track pants... a few minutes earlier it was a cheerleading outfit with dress shoes so this was a happy compromise!

The real reason for the season. Nativity ornament we bought on our last trip to Peru.

Both Lucia and Isabella wanted to put the start on the tree so that's exactly what we did. Nothing wrong with placing the star on twice... who knows, maybe next year we'll be doing it a total of three or four times!

An Ethiopian Update

2010-11-14T19:06:00.006-06:00

There are days when I think we will need to alter our adoption list from toddler boy to teenage boy since it seems we just can't get our act together when it comes to getting our paperwork started. Sigh.

For those of you keeping up, I mentioned working on our referrals last month - turns out I was working on our homestudy application - not the "official" application! Grrrr. I guess on the positive side, at least we know what we need to finish up and work on when it's homestudy time, right?

There is just one thing holding us up right now - our Texas driver's license!!! Now that we are TX residents, we have to submit TX license numbers. It took two days to get mine and now we are just waiting on Harold's. Unfortunately, the DMV is closed on the weekend and lately it seems Harold is only working weekdays!! Grrrr. Grrrr.

Sorry for the lame update - hopefully next month's will be a better one!

In the meantime, I'm loving meeting so many of you and working on your adoption announcements. Thank you for thinking of me - your children are all too precious for words!!

I also found out that there is an Ethiopian art gallery in Atlanta, The Hanatzeb Gallery. I keep visiting their website - hanatzebgallery.com - and staring at this picture. Are these two sweet boys friends or brothers? Do they have a family or is the priest assuring them that their family is on their way? I don't know... just know that it makes me smile and wish we were already in Ethiopia! :)

This Dream Made Possible By Mom.

2010-11-11T19:09:00.007-06:00

I don't remember believing in pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, white unicorns or all the other innocent things kids believe and daydream about. I know that I thought about going to college and growing up but I don't remember ever getting carried away in my dreams.

One of the last conversations I had with my mom was about dreams. I had just been offered a chance to work at an advertising agency as the owner's assistant. He was going to teach me all he knew about graphic design and I was just excited to have a full-time job for the summer (especially since I was already thinking of not returning to college in the Fall). I came home after our meeting and told my parents all about it my new position. My parents were excited that I would be working on a computer and even have one at my very own desk. It was 1997 and no one in my family owned a computer.

I kept filling them in on what exactly the agency did and what would be expected of me. My mom then said, "Oh, Laura, you have to work hard and then he might decide to buy you a computer to have here at home!" I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes at her and said, "Mom, he is not going to buy me a computer to bring home." Picking up on my you-are-crazy-tone, my mom then said to me, "Laura, you never know - don't be like that. This is your life, you have to learn to dream big."

Less than three weeks later, both my parents passed away in a car accident. I didn't return to school in the Fall but did go back a couple of years later to get my degree in Graphic Design. And as for that crazy idea my mom had.... well, guess who bought me my very first Mac to use at home? Yup, my boss.

Today is my mom's birthday. I was thinking about that conversation we had years ago as I find myself dreaming my nights away thinking about upcoming homestudys, referral calls, trips to Ethiopia and of course, what those sweet faces will look like. I can't claim that all my actions have made my mom proud but this decision my family and I are making I know will have made her so, so happy.

Happy birthday, Mom, I'm dreaming big for the two of us! xoxo.

Orphan Sunday

2010-11-07T09:22:00.003-06:00

It only takes ONE.

Trick-or-Treat!

2010-11-06T09:01:00.007-05:00

It's not too late to post Halloween pics as long as your kids are still eating the Halloween candy, right?

Happy Birthday, Lucia!

2010-10-18T20:50:00.010-05:00

Lucia has been anxiously waiting for her birthday for the past 18 days... or since Isabella turned six. :) Every day we would look at the calendar and talk about how it was coming up. She was so excited!

No doubt about it - the highlight of her day was not the cake, ice cream or presents. It was about everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her! These pics were taken while we sang - she looked at each and every one of us to make sure we were singing! So funny!

Lucky for her she had her family....

and favorite cousins to share the day with!

The group pic was taken using our camera timer and Harold would NOT run into place so we were all screaming for him to hurry and telling the kids to smile and look at the camera because the light was blinking. We took three pics and each time we'd laugh and scream more than before!!

It was a perfect day for a perfect girl.

Happy Birthday, Lucia!

Who Needs A Ball When You Can Have Love? + An Update

2010-10-14T20:36:00.005-05:00

Oh, how this process seems to be going so slow... our goal is to send out our second application in the next 2-3 weks! We have come up with our list of references, worked on our bio and are ready to get this show on the road - the road to Ethiopia!!!

In the meantime, I still spend a lot of time watching families grow through adoption. I have given up questioning why I get so emotional and why I can never get enough of these adorable children. It's what God is calling our family and me to do. Simple as that.

Grab a tissue and watch this video, it's a lil long but one that will stay with you.

Welcome home, Yohannes!

Isabella is Six!

2010-09-30T22:07:00.007-05:00

Guess who turns six today? Guess how we celebrated?

About two months ago, Isabella decided that she wanted to cut her hair and donate it to Locks-of-Love. I was worried that her hair wasn't quite long enough and convinced her to wait til her birthday.... which got me thinking. I always tell the girls their births were God's gift to the world - maybe now we could continue making the day extra special by giving the "world" our own little gift on their birthday.

Can you see how excited Isabella was with our new plan? This year her gift was "a wig for a child with cancer who doesn't have any - don't say bald, say 'who doesn't have any hair,' ok?" I hope to always remember this day. She must have reminded the hairdresser that she was giving her hair to a child with cancer about 100 times. The hairdresser smiled at her excited energy but I also knew some nervous chatter was mixed in but she never changed her mind.

That's my girl!

My Cutest Birthday Cake Yet!

2010-09-29T05:39:00.007-05:00

Today was my birthday. Tomorrow is Isabella's. Tonight we celebrated together.

Isabella loves, loves, loves hearing the story of the day she was born. I'm sure all kids do. She loves it when I tell her that her daddy announced she was a girl before the doctor since he was sooo excited. And lately, I've added in another part of the story - how she didn't want to share her birthday with me and refused to be born on my birthday... it cracks her up every time!

And what do I love? I love that she gave me the best gift ever - a chance to be her mom.

And I especially love my cake this year! I faxed the Cookie Co. one of Isabella's drawings since she is big on family drawing these days. Doesn't it look great?

PS: Another bonus to a cute cake and even cuter birthday partner? No one asked me how old I am now!

Just Call Me Kathy Lee Gifford

2010-09-27T20:07:00.005-05:00

I have re-entered the working world after a five year break... five years!!

My new position is Corporate Advertising Coordinator and Graphic Designer for a Texas bank. Yes, I was able to keep up with my design skills by working as a freelance graphic designer but this new gig is still taking a lil getting used to. Until I find my groove, these are the thoughts that go through my head... some on a daily basis.

• How do single mom's do this? I haven't a clue! If it where not for my sweet husband, our family would be crumbling.
• Who do I talk to about getting an extra two hours into my day? Where does the time go? I honestly no longer have a clue!
• I love my job. I honestly do. To be surrounded by so many adults has been much more fun than I ever expected.
• I always knew I wasn't a great cook and these past two weeks have been my confirmation. Cereal for dinner and breakfast isn't that bad, is it?
• No matter how early I drop off Lucia or how late I pick her up, there is always a child that has arrived before her and one that will still be waiting after her. Still not sure how I feel about that.
• Loving Friday jean day!
• As a self-proclaimed TV junkie nothing beats cuddling on the sofa with family. Sorry, Law & Order - you've been demoted.

And finally....
• I am the Marketing Dept's "Kathy Lee Gifford!" Ugh. That kinda hurt to write but it's true. Any chance I get to share a funny story about my girls, I do. I never realized what a mom I am. If I'm not bragging about my kids, I'm sharing a funny story. If I'm not sharing a funny story, I'm bragging about them. It's a sad cycle. Lucky for me, everyone seems to find my stories amusing. Let's see if they're still laughing three months from now!

No Longer A Stay-At-Home Kid

2010-09-13T21:55:00.006-05:00

Today was a big day in the Jimenez household - Lucia and I both had somewhere to be!

This past week I accepted a job offer. I'll still be doing freelance design work but our family just needed a steadier and more reliable income. Today is my first day back in an office setting after a five year break! This also means that Lucia will now be attending school!!! Yay! Poor thing would ask me on an almost daily basis when she could go to school. How sad is that?

Doesn't Lucia look so grown up? And of course, posing as usual. She was sooo excited! I was talking to my sister and telling her about how happy Lucia was to finally be going to school and she said something that had me cracking up. She said, "Of course she is! She's no longer a stay-at-home kid!"

Lucia will be attending a Spanish immersion school. It'll be interesting to see how she does - almost the entire day is taught in only Spanish! Dios mio!

Remembering 9/11

2010-09-11T17:47:00.005-05:00

I saw this picture on one of my favorite blogs. Don't you think it says it all?

Look Who's Home!

2010-09-06T23:56:00.006-05:00

This past week was a busy one for Gladney - they were able to reunite some cuties in Ethiopia with their forever families. So, so exciting!

I have been working on an adoption announcement for the Owen family so I had already seen pics of their adorable boys and now you can, too! Brian and Tracy invited their moms on their second and final trip to Ethiopia to pick up their boys. Too sweet.

Check out their blog and read all about their exciting journey.

Lucia, Lucia, Lucia!

2010-09-01T17:15:00.006-05:00

When Lucia was born, she was so calm. She really was content in any situation - sitting in her car seat, being held or riding in her stroller. I breathed a sigh of relief and figured I was being blessed with an easy-going, quite and sweet child. She was exactly what we needed as we tried to survive med school and parent a bright, loud and independent first child.

Not sure when it happened but it has all changed. Lucia can be louder than Isabella and while I was always able to dress Isabella in any outfit of my choosing, Lucia is very vocal when it comes to her clothes. The past few months I've noticed what a funny little personality she is starting to get.... whether she is chasing the dog with my electric toothbrush or screaming, "O! M! G!" at something or someone - she really does crack me up on a daily basis!

Her latest form of entertainment is "posing." I am constantly deleting pics that Isabella takes of her. I saw these and thought maybe I should keep a few.

She is too darn funny!

Tio Henry!!!!

2010-08-28T10:43:00.006-05:00

My bachelor brother flew in from NYC for a quick weekend visit. Lucky for him, now he only needs to fly to one city in order to hang out will all his nieces and nephews.

For years, my sister and I have talked about getting our families together for a pic and we finally did! Last night we spent hours digging through closets and running to the mall - it's hard work coordinating outfits for ten people! These are the pics we took of just the kids with their Tio Henry.
Tio Henry is lots of fun, lives in NYC and never shows up empty handed... though some gifts are better than others! This trip they got candy, confetti poppers, super snaps, jump ropes, plastic bubble kits and a whoopi cushion. A whoopi cushion! See what I mean?
Tomorrow, he's promised to fill 300 balloons for a water balloon fight at the pool. The kids love to play with their Tio Henry - can you tell?

Back to School

2010-08-24T08:59:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Isabella's first day at her new school. She is having to repeat Kindergarten since TX and LA have different birthday requirements. I'm still a lil aggravated by this but that's another story.

Sunday night, she started crying that she didn't like school once she realized that she was not going into first grade. I'm sure nervousness and a lil fear had something to do with her comments but it still made my heart break. Of course, the only thing I could to do was to stay up late and make her a new purple headband!Monday she woke up and acted as if it was Christmas morning - she was soooo excited!! Oh, how Isabella loves to keep us on our toes. On the way to school I thought that I'd gladly put up with back-to-school meltdowns if I can keep her little forever - she's becoming such a big girl!

Good-bye, Summer!

2010-08-22T20:16:00.004-05:00

Isabella starts school tomorrow so today was the last official day of summer for us. We spent the day going to church, to my sister's house to swim and to have dinner. It was a nice way to end an even better summer!

On the way home, Isabella was starting to get a lil nervous about starting school, so I started naming all the fun things we did this summer and it really was a lot! Who knew we'd been so busy? These were some things we came up with in case Isabella was asked to share a few summer memories with her class.

• Moved to Dallas so Harold could start his Residency
• Slumber parties with our cousins - here in Dallas and in Houston
• Trip to Costa Rica - saw a volcano, took a river raft trip, waterfall hike, went to the beach, held a butterfly and more
• Snowballs, snowballs and more snowballs!
• Girls were flower girls in TWO weddings
• Swimming
• Exploring Dallas - movies, library, restaurants and splash parks

• Quick trip to New Orleans to visit family and friends

We came up with much more but these are the highlights. Hopefully, a few of these will get mentioned in class. Then again, Isabella may have everyone convinced that we are a boring family and just say that, "She watched tv." We did do a lot of that, too!

Good bye, summer!

Ethiopian Update: Fundraiser Time!!

2010-08-14T23:21:00.009-05:00

We are officially starting one of two fundraisers to benefit our adoption. I've been thinking and praying about this for a while now and am excited to be taking one more step forward in our journey!

Our first fundraiser will be designing custom photo adoption announcements. I've always had a desire to do this, not just because it would be some money coming in but because it would be such a reminder of the forever families being formed. For you new readers, I've written about it in the past here and here.

For a donation of $25, you'll receive a custom adoption announcement saved as both a 4x6 and 5x7 for you to print and distribute as well as a low-res file that can be easily emailed to family and friends! My goal for this fundraiser is twelve families - yes, only twelve!! This would allow us to check off the next step in our process and start focusing on our homestudy.

If you know of an adoption family that is ready to show off their newest addition, please tell them about us! If you are interested in an adoption announcement but have exhausted all your available resources on the costly process, contact us anyway. I'd love to design an announcement for you as my small gift from one adoption family to another.

Two Weddings and New Orleans

2010-08-01T23:37:00.008-05:00

We are back in New Orleans!!!

We made the long drive a few days ago so that we could be home in time for my cousin Heather's wedding. Isabella and Lucia were her flower girls. The wedding was held in Port Allen which made for a couple of long days - driving home, changing, driving to the rehearsal, back to New Orleans, back for the wedding and finally back to New Orleans. Phew!

My cousin made a beautiful bride and Mark, a handsome groom. They are both going to be spending a few years working as missionaries in Honduras - what an exciting way to start of your marriage, huh? Because Honduras is close to both of their hearts, the wedding was full of color and little Honduran touches. Isabella and Lucia even carried handmade Honduran bowls full of rose petals as they walked down the aisle instead of the usual baskets... so sweet!

Weren't we a colorful bunch? So much fun!

Now we are looking forward to spending some time in the Big Easy, playing tourists, eating some beignets and looking forward to this coming weekend. The girls have been asked to be flower girls yet again for some dear friends of ours from church.

I think I should make them little business cards they can hand out to their new friends in Dallas with "Professional Flower Girls" as their titles!!

Peruvian Independence Day

2010-07-28T18:43:00.004-05:00

This year's celebrations bombed!

I was so excited to celebrate Peru's Independence Day! Not only did we have a sitter lined up but we had four Peruvian restaurant's to chose from. Yes, four! There are none in New Orleans so this definitely counts as another Dallas perk. Harold was working but was meeting up with us after he got off.

So what went so wrong? We were running late. The restaurant lost our reservation. Limited menu which meant no ceviche or lomo saltado for me. Place way too packed to stay (poor planning on restaurant's part). We decided to skip Peruvian food and just go out to eat but since Dallas is no New Orleans, everything was getting ready to close. What a mess!

We finally ended up at an Irish pub - yes, Irish!! - and tried to pretend all the green was really red. Oh, well, at least I was able to update my Facebook pic in honor of the day!

Viva Peru!

What's Black, White & Cool All Over?

2010-07-23T22:48:00.005-05:00

Cousins!!!!!

Today we went to go see my nephew, Alex, and niece, Sophia, perform in their final camp play. Really, it was little skits in which the kids all acted out their own made up little story. It was really cute. The theme for all the plays was supposed to be about how the animals tricked the humans into staying at the zoo in their place.

As you can see, Sophia was a zebra and my girls dressed in black and white to show their support! Oh, how they want to be just like her... especially Lucia. Isn't that adorable? Alex was a "lazy human" and kept joking that his preparation was non-existent because he just let his true character show through. He cracks me up!

By far, one of the best part about being in Dallas has been hanging out with our cool cousins. :)

A Give-Away

2010-07-21T08:16:00.006-05:00

As you know, I love to read blogs and follow a family's adoption adventure. One of the first family's I got to "know" was the Andrew's Family.

Lindsey was the very first person I ever contacted to share adoption info and worries. I looked up this morning how long ago I first contacted her and it was over a year ago! Lindsey and her husband have adopted two gorgeous kids from Ethiopia and it is so fun watching this little family become one! So, so awesome!

Now, Lindsey is hoping to pass along the same excitement to four lucky readers. She is having her very first give-away.... actually, it's four! ;) If you have ever thought of adoption or just want to learn more about how we can better take care of one another, read this and leave her a comment! I've heard wonderful things about all the books she has selected - you won't be disappointed!

Mooo-ving Along Adoption Update

2010-07-14T22:58:00.008-05:00

Our adoption journey is slowly taking off. We are making little steps and while that bugs me, I keep telling myself that little steps count just as much as big ones!

We have our first phone interview tomorrow with our adoption agency. Judy has been so sweet and while I've spoken to her a few times, tomorrow we'll have an official three-way call with Harold. It'll be a good way to make sure we are all on the same page and working towards the same goals! Yay!

In the meantime, a few days ago it was "Dress like a Cow" day at Chick-fil-A so guess what we did?

That same day we met my sis and her kids at the movies to watch "Despicable Me!" (which was so good!!!!) so I printed out an extra set of ears for my sweet nephew, Joshua. It was pretty fun to see everyone dressed up - some went all out! Mooo!!!

An Excited Big Sister

2010-07-08T18:57:00.005-05:00

Ever since we moved to Dallas, the girls have been really excited about our upcoming adoption. We always said that we would start working on this once we moved here and it's never far from their minds.

Today, Isabella asked me to come in and see our family that she made out of play-dough. As I was telling her that she did a good job I noticed that there was one more person included so I asked her who that was. She said, "That's Papi, you, me, our new little brother and Lucia. You see - it's a boy not another girl!"

Oh, how that girl can melt my heart when she wants to!

I told her I was going to take a pic and she asked that I give her a sec so that she could position herself holding "Lucia's" hand!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T23:23:00.006-05:00

Happy Fourth of July! Unfortunately, Harold had to work and was not able to spend the day with us but thanks to my bf, Janella, we still had a great day!

We had a lunch of BBQ and then went to watch a firework show. I was so excited when we pulled into the parking lot. Families were hanging out in their cars and on blankets, kids were playing football and a few people had their radio on. Yay! It felt just like New Orleans when everyone hangs out waiting for the parades to begin. :) I was so glad we brought some lawn chairs and a blanket!!

A young guy promoting his bounce house business was giving away free glow sticks and our girls couldn't have been happier. Glow sticks AND fireworks in one night? They were in heaven.

As soon as the show started, about half the crowd took off - turns out most of the show was blocked by an overpass! This is what happens when you live in a state that finishes their roads in a timely manner... no one realized that it was no longer such a great spot! We didn't mind.

Next year I need to remember my camera! My iPhone is not the greatest when it comes to taking pics at night. Oh, well. Hope you all had a great day full of fun, family and fireworks!!

A Colorful Update

2010-06-30T09:10:00.008-05:00

This blog is overdue an adoption update. I said I would update every month on the 14th and so far I have missed two months. Sigh. Our house sale fell through and along with it the main bulk of our adoption fund. Double sigh.

Now that we are officially in Dallas, I was supposed to update our file with Gladney so that we could get this adoption going. Unfortunately, at the 11th hour our house sale fell through and honestly, I just got a bit discouraged and never followed up with our caseworker. Have I mentioned before that patience is not my strongest virtue? :)

Yesterday, I decided enough of not believing in our plan. I know God wants us to adopt from Ethiopia. I feel it in my heart and He told my husband. What more confirmation do I need, right? I called our caseworker and we now have an updated file and hopefully will be attending our first seminar in the next few weeks. Yay! Where will the money come from? I don't know. We have a few ideas and trust that God will take care of the rest. I can't thank God for our blessings and then doubt His plan in our lives.

In the meantime, Isabella and Lucia decided to clean my room for me yesterday while I was on the phone. By "cleaning" I mean making my bed. If the bed is made, the room is clean (my kind of girls!). Isabella decided my door was too plain and drew this picture for me. Yes, she's drawn 100's of family pics but this is the first one that show's Harold as having a different skin color than mine. Her use of color just makes me smile... that and how she still draws a few random hairs on Harold's head.

Pura Vida

2010-06-24T22:28:00.009-05:00

If you are ever in Costa Rica, you are bound to hear someone say, "Pura vida!" It's a little catch phrase that is said over and over, regardless of the situation. The literal translation is "pure life" but it means much more than that to a Costa Rican. I heard it used as a greeting, as a good-bye, when laughing about the local soccer team and when there was just a moment of awkward silence in the taxi.

So with that being said, here are a few of my favorite pics from our trip. I loved hanging out with my little family and love, love, love the memories these pics represent. Pura vida!

Finally Connected

2010-06-24T08:00:00.005-05:00

Yay... I am officially back on-line! And also realizing that I may have a semi obsessive relationship with the internet - I use it for everything!! Not sure how good that is. Hmmm.

In the meantime, no more having to run to my sister's house to use my computer, check my email and get a lil work done. I wasn't completely in the dark, I did have my iPhone but just not the same. Now I can check out all my favorite blogs and websites from the comfort of home!

Costa Rican Royalty

2010-06-16T20:35:00.006-05:00

We are back from our vacation and it was wonderful! I cannot say enough nice things about Harold's family and of course, the beauty of Costa Rica.

We arrived late Tuesday night and spent Wednesday walking in the city, people watching and feeding the pigeons. We also booked a two night stay at the Royal Corin Resort & Spa, in La Fortuna, right next to Volcano Arenal.

The hotel and volcano views were amazing. Our room's balcony overlooked the pool and volcano. Volcano Arenal is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and we could hear it grumbling and erupting every day that we were there. On our first night, we even saw a neat display of red hot lava rocks - as exciting as this was it was also scary to be so close to an active volcano!

I had never stayed such a luxurious resort and we were treated like royalty... true to it's name! The rest of the trip we stayed with Harold's aunt and uncle who are very poor and their living conditions were not at all what our girls were used to. On the bus ride home I told Harold that our girls were going to throw a fit about having to go back to his aunt and uncle's house... but they never did.

I don't think they paid too much thought to the hole in their uncle's ceiling that let in the rain at times or the big mud pit by the back door due to a cracked up tile kitchen floor. We were constantly showered with attention and love. Any chance they had, all the other aunts, uncles and cousins would come by to say hello - before breakfast, at lunch and after dinner. They would all come by to hug the girls, stroke their hair or just smile at them. Thanks to the fact that our girls are still not fluent in Spanish (grrr!) there was not much that could be discussed but the love they had for our kids was more than evident.

And isn't that what every parent really wants? To know that your kids are welcome and loved. Our girls may not have been showered with gifts but they were given enough hugs, kisses, hair strokes and back rubs to last them a lifetime... and that's the best royal treatment anyone can wish for.

Bon Voyage!

2010-06-01T00:36:00.005-05:00

Good-bye... I'm off for a two-week trip to Costa Rica with my family. So excited! Before you start feeling too jealous please know that this trip has been four years in the making and our vacations for the past four years have mainly consisted of weekend trips to Dallas or Houston... not that those weren't any fun! ;)

Hopefully, I'll get to post some pics but until then hope you all are having a wonderful summer.

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T11:08:00.004-05:00

We are celebrating our first Memorial Day as Texans!

Today I am especially thankful for all the brave men and women serving our country not to mention the families they leave behind. I can't imagine it. Hope all of you enjoyed your day and let's pray for peace. I heard the other day that at the rate our troops are dying there will no spaces left in the Arlington Cemetery in less than 15 years. What a shame.

Unfortunately, we arrived last night only to leave again this afternoon. We're driving to Houston to visit our wonderful cousins and then leave tomorrow for Costa Rica... for two glorious weeks! Yay! In the meantime, my sister has planned an afternoon BBQ and I am anxiously waiting for the watermelon to get sliced... along with all the kiddos. :)

Goodnight, NOLA!

2010-05-29T22:41:00.003-05:00

Tonight was our last night in New Orleans - tomorrow we are off to Dallas to start our new lives. I couldn't help but think of this book today as we drove around the city one last time.

It's a cute little book that pays tribute to all the things that make New Orleans such a unique place to live and visit. It's one of a few New Orleans books that are now part of our home library.

As is always the case, there is never enough time to see and do everything. We managed to get a lot done and until our next visit home, I'll just have to flip through these pages and make a mental list of what I've got to do next time.

Goodnight, Nola!

Yesterday

2010-05-27T06:58:00.009-05:00

Yesterday, my first born graduated from Kindergarten - why is life so cruel? :)

Yesterday, I told her how I remembered walking her to her first day of Pre-K 3 and how it's all gone by so fast. She laughed and then asked if she could let go of my hand and walk ahead of me. I told her no and held her hand a little tighter.

Yesterday, she led her class into the gym and welcomed everyone to the ceremony - so cute. She was so excited to hold a real microphone!

Yesterday, I shed a few more tears thanks to this beautiful child of mine.

I was Brought to Tears, Too.

2010-05-18T17:02:00.005-05:00

Have any of you seen this? CNN is taking part in a pilot study titled "Black or White: Kids on Race" which is focused on kids and their attitudes towards race. I usually just read CNN's articles and rarely watch their videos. But after I read the following, I had to watch the video, too.

This is part of what was written...
"A 5-year-old girl in Georgia is being asked a series of questions in her school library. The girl, who is white, is looking at pictures of five cartoons of girls, all identical except for skin color ranging from light to dark.

When asked who the smart child is, she points to a light-skinned doll. When asked who the mean child is she points to a dark-skinned doll. She says a white child is good because 'I think she looks like me', and says the black child is ugly because 'she's a lot darker.'

After watching her daughter answer the questions, the mother is brought to tears."

I was brought to tears, too.

I felt bad for the mom. We don't really talk about race in our house, we just let our children see that we treat everyone the same which is probably exactly what this mom is doing. I remember asking Isabella what she thought about having a black baby brother and she said that it was really good. We then asked her why and she said "because I'd finally have a brother." After reading the entire CNN study and watching their many videos, I am now realizing that it's in those moments that I need to take our conversations a little deeper.

You can read the entire article here and the full study here.

Graduation Squared

2010-05-15T21:55:00.004-05:00

It is the month of graduation's in our family - today we had a party for two of our graduates!

My sister, Carmen, graduated from UNT with a Bachelor's in Education and her Teaching Certification. She will soon be a high school Spanish teacher! Her graduation was the same as day as Harold's party so she decided to pass on her graduation ceremony to be here with us - how sweet is that?!

Harold graduated a few days ago with a Doctorate in Medicine from LSU. This entire week has been one big celebration - a Dean's Reception on Monday, Hooding Ceremony on Wednesday, Commencement Ceremony on Thursday and today a graduation party.

So proud of these two!

I made both Harold and Carmen put on their caps and gowns for a few pics. They both rolled their eyes at me and dragged themselves upstairs to change. I'm glad they listened because we got some really cute pics of them. The funny part was that after my lil photo session not one of them seemed to be in a hurry to take of their gowns!

I guess they're a lil proud of themselves, too!

My New Boyfriend

2010-05-12T21:31:00.008-05:00

I have a new boyfriend. His name is Dr. Harold Jimenez.

I hear he has two cute girls and a wife. I know I should care but I don't.

For four years, I have noticed how determined and intelligent he is not to mention the many sacrifices he was more than willing to make for his lil family.

A few weeks ago he told me he'd take me to Costa Rica as long as his girls can come. You see... always thinking of his family. Of course, I said, "Yes!"

Don't you wish you had a boyfriend like mine? ;)

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T13:57:00.008-05:00

My day this year went something like this...

7am: Girls come into our room ready to start the day. I pretend not to hear them and listen as my husband jumps out of bed and quickly ushers them out the room. Usually once I'm awake I cannot go back to sleep but this one time, I do! Yay!!

8:00am: Knocking. Lots of knocking. I wake up and decide my husband can take care of it and roll over. Knocking. More knocking. And even more knocking. I get up prepared to scream at my girls and shoot my husband a mean look only to find both my girls and husband are locked in the office. I laugh to myself as I walk to the living room and realize that on Mother's Day 2010 , I was able to "save" my family.

9:00am: Decide that we have plenty of time to go to IHOP for breakfast and still make it to 10am Mass. Of course, we weren't the only ones that had that idea so it didn't happen. No worries - we we ended up at La Madeleine which is much yummier (per my mommy opinion).

9:30am: Try to read the paper, enjoy my breakfast croissant and ignore my children who are whining to their father over every. little. thing. Seriously, why are my girls incapable of speaking normal?

9:45am: Rush to pick up our table a little and wipe up sticky hands and faces. The whining has not ended so my husband gives me his saddest look and says, "Maybe next year will be better?" I had been thinking that for a good 30min. so I just smiled and said a prayer for it to come true. Notice how I didn't procrastinate on that one? ;)

10am: We made it to Mass and I keep thinking of what my husband said. Next year we may have one (or two) more kids with us and I think to myself that this year just may be the peaceful one of the two. But when I think of all the Ethiopian children I've fallen in love with I realize there is nothing wrong with that!

11am: Mass ends with a special Mom blessing. I was sitting next to an older woman who was all by herself. I know this because I wanted to make sure that my girls stayed quiet enough that they didn't bother her. She stood up for the blessing, too, and my heart just broke. It was Mother's Day and she was all alone. I decide that whining really isn't all that bad.

12pm: I decide that whining really is that bad and kick my girls out of the living room and into the play room. I feel guilty for about 0.3 seconds as I reach for the tv remote, watch a lil tv and take a mini-nap.

6pm: We went out for Chinese with Harold's family.

8pm: It's time for the girl's to go to bed and I realize that not one pic was taken of me with them - as I opened their sweet gifts, while we ate breakfast or laid on the sofa. I asked Harold to take a quick pic of us and thanked God for giving me two nutty girls to love.

Sad

2010-04-23T06:55:00.008-05:00

Like all kids, Isabella loves to draw. Sometime last year, Harold came home from school one day and I showed him the latest family picture that Isabella had made and hung on our fridge.

"She's always smiling - that's a real good thing," was Harold's response.

I'd seen so many drawings that I hadn't really stopped to pay too much attention to them but he was right. All of Isabella's drawings were always happy ones.... all her figures had big crooked smiles. I found a drawing she made once of me screaming with a big slash across it. She had hung it in her room to show that "no screaming was allowed." Even in that picture, I had a huge smile on my face. Obviously, I don't scream with a smile on my face but when I thought about all those crooked smiles it made me feel good. It feels good to know that your child feels loved and happy.

Yesterday, Isabella drew the following picture and it just broke my heart. Her first sad face, a picture of her moving away.

It's a letter to her friends and says, "Dear friends, sorry I couldn't tell you that I was moving to Dallas. Love, Isabella 9 Jimenez" (the number 9 is her student number). She asked that I make lots of copies so that we can mail them out. When I asked her what she meant, she said that it made her too sad to tell anyone she was moving so she decided to write a letter instead.

For the most part, Isabella seems to be excited about the move but like the rest of us, she's going to miss her home and friends. And while I know that there are millions of kids who have drawn sad faces for reasons much worse than a family move, this first little frown just makes me sad.

In One Week

2010-04-21T16:27:00.006-05:00

Where does the time go? Or more specifically, where did my week go?

This past week has been a blur of mortgage documents, appraisals, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. Well, not really cleaning as much as keeping things tidy... which is near impossible around here. We had near daily house showings this week. This is a great thing if you are a "seller" but a horrible thing if you are the person who still calls this house your home and has two small kids. And a dog. Don't forget the dog!

Every time the agent called, I'd get excited, rush home to open blinds, turn on lights, straighten up the beds, turn on music, spray Glade air freshener and pick up my dog. It was horrible but I can't deny that it felt great coming home to a clean house every. single. day.

We accepted an offer on our house yesterday. Thank God... and God help me. I need to pack and keep from crying at every sweet memory that comes flooding in when I think of our upcoming move. Sigh.

For now, I will be praying for a smooth closing and working on my New Orleans wish list. So much to do and as usual, never enough time!

Coffee, Ciao And An Update

2010-04-14T04:59:00.013-05:00

Today is the 14th!! Time for another Ethiopian adoption update - I know at least one of you who has been anxiously waiting an update! (Thanks, Maureen, for your support and excitement! xoxo.)

Before I tell you the latest with our paperwork, let me tell you about two things that I learned about and have fallen in love with. Yes, I fall in love with all things Ethiopian pretty quickly these days. Is there a problem? ;) I recently read a post by a family that just adopted a baby boy from Ethiopia, named Mica. She spoke about the traditional farewell coffee ceremony as well as the Ethiopian farewell. I just felt as if this post had Harold and I written all over it.

Harold loves, loves, LOVES coffee - and that's probably an understatement. Decaf, regular, black, mocha, etc. He loves it all! I, on the other hand, can't stand any of it. Once in Ethiopia, parents are invited to participate in a final coffee ceremony before leaving to come home. It's also the caretaker's last chance to say farewell to the children they've taken care of before they go home with their forever families. I can't wait to experience this farewell ritual even though I'm hoping no one will notice if I barely take a sip!

Isn't the women's dress pretty? You should see pics of the children in their traditional attire - to darn cute!

Now for what I recently learned about Ethiopia and their good-byes. Those of you who know me personally, know that I sometimes say good-bye by saying "Ciao!" I close all my emails with that farewell. In Peru, we say "Chau" or "Ciao" and I always figured it was purely a Hispanic or Italian way of saying farewell. Not anymore. That's how everyone say's good-bye in Ethiopia! "Ciao!!" Is that not hysterical? Love it!

Here's a pic of sweet Mica telling you all "ciao!"

And now for the update... I spoke with our caseworker today! She asked that I email her an updated info sheet with our new address in Dallas. Once she receives that, she'll sign us up for our first orientation class! She's pretty sure she can squeeze us in at the end of June. Yay!!

I know it's not much of an update but it's a step forward and it's so exciting!

Ciao!!

A New Orleans Wish List

2010-04-11T09:57:00.006-05:00

I started a mental list of what we needed to do in order to move to Dallas pretty much as soon as Harold opened his envelope on Match Day - find a house, find a school, pack, update insurance, register cars, pack, open new bank accounts, get new drivers licenses, find a church, pack, etc. I think all these thoughts ran through my head before we walked out of the stadium! ;)

We still have a lot to do but are also working on a fun "New Orleans Wish List!" Just yesterday Harold sent me a text with another item to add to the list. Some will happen and some won't, but we can wish anyway, right? Here's the list - in no particular order. I hope I haven't missed something!

1. Beignets at Cafe du Monde
2. Mass at the Cathedral
3. Walking in the French Quarter/Flea Market
4. Crawfish every Friday
5. Ride the streetcar
6. Roast beef po-boy at Short Stop
7. Sunday brunch at the Royal Sonesta
8. Corks-N-Canvas night with my best girlfriends (Nola themed art)
9. Jazz Fest
10. Go to Zephyr's game
11. Order a daiquiri at a drive-thru window (can't do that anywhere else!)
12. Girls night with Emily, Claire and Aunt Mary
13. Snowballs at Plum St, Casey's, Sal's or Hansen's (so not picky!)
14. Picnic at Audubon Park
15. Afternoon at the zoo
16. Watch street performer's in front of Jackson Square
17. Check out NOMA and the Sculpture Garden
18. Ride the City Park carousel
19. Hurricane's at Pat O'Briens

(Items in red have already been accomplished and probably more than once!)

Ethio-utopia... and My 100th Post!!

2010-04-06T23:19:00.010-05:00

I have been wanting to go eat at an Ethiopian restaurant for months now - if not over a year. Today was our last day in Dallas and the perfect day for Harold and I to sneak off to dinner. Now that we're officially adopting from Ethiopia, I've been dying to try their foods and learn their customs. Not to mention that an offer we submitted on a house was finally accepted today (more on that later) so we had plenty of reasons to celebrate!

We ate at Addis Abeba, which means "New Flower" and it was delicious! Our appetizer was an order of Sambussa - seasoned lentils wrapped in pastry dough and deep fried. It was so good... too bad I had to share with Harold!

They brought out some Injera which I was really looking forward to trying since I've heard so much about it. Injera is a staple bread in Ethiopia and it's used to eat with, you tear off a piece and use it to scoop up your food. It was a lil more spongy than I expected but still pretty good. I forgot to take a pic of it but you can see it a lil in the next pictures - it's served warm and rolled up.

My entree was Yebeg Alitcha - a lamb dish. When the waitress took my order she pronounced it properly since I butchered the name and told me it was a lamb stew. I was a lil disappointed because I was looking forward to eating with my hands and using the Injera as my utensil. As soon as she set my food down and walked away without offering me a spoon, I knew I had nothing to be disappointed about.

Harold ordered a meat dish that was served with spinach and cottage cheese, called Kitfo ____. (I can't remember the name! Do any of you know?) Kitfo means ground beef but I can't remember the other part of the name. Oh, well. Either way, it was pretty good but not as good as mine! ;)

The restaurant was a lil far but not enough to keep us away especially once our adoption is complete. As we learn more about Ethiopia and it's customs, I'm sure we'll be itching to eat there as often as we can. We always go eat at the local Peruvian restaurants in Dallas so now we just have one more restaurant to add to our list!

PS: This is my 100th post!! Can you believe it? And it all started because of my friend Katy, who first got me hooked on following blogs, and encouraged me to start one. Thanks, Katy, it only took almost two years to get this far!

Rising Again A Better Person

2010-04-02T10:45:00.005-05:00

When Harold & I were preparing to get married, I remember speaking to our priest about an arguement we were having. Honestly, I can't remember what it was about (no, it wasn't about my messiness!) but I do remember his response. He said that I needed to focus on Jesus' Death and Resurrection. Huh? He said that I needed to die to the situation and rise again.

That advice has always stuck with me even though I haven't always practiced it. Trust me, you can ask Harold. ;)

This past week, Isabella and I had a rough morning. This whole daylight savings thing still has thrown a wrench in our routine. As I was on my way to school, I looked at the clock and realized that it was less than 90 min. into my day and I was already so angry. It was then that those words from long ago came back to me. Die to the situation and rise again.

Today being Good Friday and being stuck in a car for 8+ hours as we drove to Dallas, I couldn't stop thinking about what a great example we have in Jesus. This is not anything new to me or any of you, I am not claiming to be the one to have figured this all out for the very first time. However, I had a personal "aha" moment and it consumed my thinking for the majority of the day.

I can't stop thinking about what a better person I would be, if I really would focus on Jesus' Death and Resurrection in all aspects of my life - not just a silly argument with my husband. I am given daily opportunities to "rise again" a better wife, a better mom, a better sister, a better friend.... and for that I am very grateful.

(Painting by artist named Revery, found here. Isn't it intriguing?)

Giddy Up!

2010-03-30T09:08:00.006-05:00

This past Saturday was the Annual Father-Daughter Dance at Isabella's school. This year's dance was a cowgirl/cowboy theme. I'm not sure when the first notice was sent home, all I know is that the day before is when I realized that Isabella did not have a proper cowgirl outfit to wear.

I really did not want to spend a lot of money on her outfit since (1) we don't have much money and (2) it probably would only be worn once or twice. I found everything she wore at a local thrift store and cost me less than $10! Yay! And she has worn her "cowboy" boots all weekend long.

Harold was supposed to also bring Lucia with him but since we will be moving, decided to enjoy a lil one-on-one time with Isabella and her fellow school friends and their dad's. She was in heaven!

For Sale

2010-03-23T20:49:00.008-05:00

We have listed our house for sale and starting looking for a new place in Dallas.

One of the perks of selling our house was that it would fund our adoption. Yay! I was so excited to not have to worry about applying for grants, loans and starting a great fundraiser.... not! The "bottom-line" I envisioned in my head is not even where we are starting! Ughh. If this not a buyer's market, I don't know what is!

On the positive side, we finally got our bathroom floors re-tiled (after 4 years), my house has never been cleaner and that cleaning lady I've been dreaming of hiring? She's coming on Saturday to get the house ready for our Open House on Sunday!

We Matched!

2010-03-18T22:40:00.006-05:00

Today was the day that we have been anticipating probably since the first week of med school.... Harold's Match Day! I won't bore you guys with the full explanation but basically it's the day we find out where Harold will start his residency and confirmation that there is a paycheck coming soon. ;)

We matched in Dallas!!!

I shed a few tears of joy and sadness... mostly sadness and not a few! :) I know Dallas will be a great place and I'm already excited to meet some of my blog friends and families. And because my husband is such a sweetie, we are implementing "Crawfish Friday's" til we leave. We also have already started the list of things we need to do, see and eat before we leave. Yum!!

The next 8-9 weeks will be a mad rush of finding a new school for the fall, a place to live, selling our house and packing. Ughh, packing! Thank God my best friend and my sister and her family live in Dallas so we'll have a group of friends welcoming us to area. Yay!!

Like I was constantly reminding Isabella the past few days, "As long as we stay together, anywhere we go will be great!" So, off we go and I know it will be a great experience for all of us.

Adoption Update

2010-03-14T08:48:00.007-05:00

I have decided that on the 14th of every month, I will be writing a lil update on our adoption journey. As you all know, we filled out our initial application on Feb. 14th. Yay! I received a call from our assigned caseworker shortly after.

The good news? Our application has been received and our first check already cashed.

The bad news? Gladney would like to put our application on hold for two months. The reason being that if our process moves quickly, Immigration will need income verification. Unfortunately, our many loan bills will not count. :) We figured as much which is why we did not apply last year but still kinda sucked to hear.

On a positive note, our caseworker sounds kind and told me to please keep in touch with any questions or concerns until then. That was very sweet of her. In the meantime, I am still following and falling in love with so many cute kiddos out there. The Andrew's family has inspired me so much! Lindsey is one of the first people I reached out to and to say that her children are fortunate to have her and Le as parents, is an understatement. They are in Ethiopia right now picking up their kids - with another trip already planned. They are amazing!

(Jewelry by Junk Posse, an Etsy artist, and called "Ethiopian Angel Wing" - a wing in shape of Ethiopia. Too sweet. You can see her work here. )

Happy Birthday, Aunt Celeste!

2010-03-09T21:40:00.004-06:00

Today would have been my Aunt Celeste's 74th birthday... but sadly she passed away in 2006 from cancer. My cousin wrote a sweet tribute to her mom on her blog and it made me smile to think of all the fun memories we have of her.

I wouldn't say that my aunt and I had a very close relationship, before my parents passed away, but she was the first person I thought of when I was asked if there was anyone I needed to call. I knew she'd know exactly what to do and say. She helped us move out of our home and I am still mortified to this day, that as we drove away and stopped at the first red light, I promptly ran into the back of her car! So embarrassing!!

My aunt used to have Sunday supper (which was really lunch - still don't get that!) every week and would have one of her girls and their families over. Since I was not married or had any children, I was invited every Sunday to have lunch at her house. Man, I miss those Sunday lunches of pot roast, peas and rice! One day instead of the usual butter she put out a mini-tub of Smart Balance. She said that her cholesterol was getting high and the doctor told her she needed to start watching her diet. I quickly realized that what was really bothering her was not that her cholesterol was high, but that it wasn't high enough to require medication - just a change in her diet. That still cracks me up!

From what I understand her father wasn't the best around and somewhat of a racist. One of my uncle's told me that she once told her father that she was going to adopt a cute lil black baby just to shut him up. Oh, to have been there that day! I had forgotten all about that story til Harold and I chose Ethiopia to adopt our next child(ren) from. I know my aunt would have been cheering us on and telling us lil stories of how they first adopted Angelle, her first-born daughter.

I chose this picture of my aunt because although you can't see her beautiful face, you can see her beautiful spirit. I love how her grandchildren (one an honorary one) are so comfortable around her. This pic was taken the morning of my wedding while we were waiting in the hotel lobby. All my lil nieces/flower girls were hanging all over her, just how she loved them to be.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Celeste!

Not Quite the Originality I Envisioned

2010-03-07T15:25:00.006-06:00

A few of days ago, one of my new favorite blogger's posted pics of her messy house. I, of course, quickly commented and told her that as soon as my husband walked through the door I would be showing him her post! ;)

I also sent her the link to my post that I wrote a couple of months back so that she could check out this great pic.

On Friday, as I checked out another blog I follow, she had written about the same thing! The reality of how we all live in a messy house. If you, too, are avoiding the laundry that's screaming your name, you can check it out here. I quickly decided that I was going to post a pic of the inside of my car, so that I could keep with the theme of posting messy pics of one's house and surroundings. But I didn't. Honestly, I was a lil too embarrassed to do so. Yeah, it really is looking that bad.

Then I started thinking about the many blogs I follow and how I always fail miserably to write about something that hasn't been written about before, when I suddenly realized that just between these few blogs, I was the first to write about my horrible housekeeping skills! Yay! Uh, not so "Yay!" Especially since the mess that is our home is slowly killing my husband.

Sigh.... posting about my messy house was not quite the originality I envisioned for myself!

A New Smile to Love

2010-03-02T19:29:00.010-06:00

My first child has lost her first tooth. How exciting!

I had seen lil tooth pillows that you could purchase from Etsy and, of course, never got around to ordering one. Saturday night, Harold wiggled her tooth and said that he thought it would fall out that very night... great! I did a lil searching on-line and decided that I had to just make one and call it a day. This is what happens when you procrastinate - you end up pulling apart your office closet looking for embroidery thread, felt and anything else you can find!

This is what I came up with...

What do you think? Not too bad if I say so myself! Isabella loved it... and in her favorite color of blue. I went ahead and made one for Lucia because let's face it, it's either now or never. I made her's a lil different - part of the ladybug wing is her tooth "pocket" instead of an attached pocket like Isabella's.

So all that running around and Isabella's tooth fell out tonight, Tuesday - not Saturday. Grrr... do you know what I could have done with my Saturday night instead of sewing tooth pillows? ;)

You Know You're From New Orleans....

2010-02-28T13:14:00.008-06:00

...when your daughter's jewelry box looks like this!

A silver doubloon, Mardi Gras "pearls", flashing green pendant, lucky heart rock and handmade Valentine from a friend. I look at these contents and wish we could all stay this sweet and innocent.

The piggy bank is from my brother, who lives in NYC. Both girls got one for Christmas and I teased them that when it was full I would gladly ship them off to the big city to visit Tio Henry for a week!

My Busy & Fun-Filled Week

2010-02-24T10:58:00.009-06:00

I realized that I hadn't posted in a while and I couldn't figure out why. Then it hit me - Isabella was off of school all last week and we had a lil thing called Mardi Gras to celebrate. It's been one party after the other around here... just the way we like it!

Check out my pics - I love the expression on Lucia's face when they would throw her something! Priceless!! And Isabella was a magnet for all things stuffed - we easily had 20 stuffed animals, from lil fish to huge flowers. It was a great day!

And on top of all that, soccer season has officially started! This year we are trying a different league that sounds a lil more organized. The only "problem" being that they meet three times a week - twice for practice and then a weekly game! Geez!

Isabella seems to enjoy it and Lucia doesn't mind watching and cheering her on. Now, I've just got to find Harold and I some purple sweatshirts or a blanket we can wrap ourselves in for her games - gotta show of our Purple Panther spirit!!

A Valentine Kick-Off

2010-02-14T21:21:00.004-06:00

As if last weekend wasn't exciting enough, this weekend was just as great... if not better! ;)

Harold and I got to go have our traditional Valentine's dinner last night. We have been eating at Cannon's Restaurant on St. Charles, for Valentine's, since we first started dating. We have only missed one year (thanks to darn Katrina!) since 2000. I think only once or twice have we actually celebrated on the 14th - usually it's the day before or after. We spent today with the girls, going to church and then to a fun lunch.

Then we came home to tackle this packet of papers:

Yup... We are finally making all our decisions and dreams come true! We have chosen Gladney as our adoption agency - hopefully, they choose us, too! - and Ethiopia as the country we'd like to adopt from! We are so excited! I'll have to share one day how we decided upon Ethiopia and how we truly feel called to that country. I think we're much too fortunate or blessed to start doubting God's plan for us and I'm not about to start now.

I know from following so many of your blogs and journeys that we need to prepare ourselves for the many high's and low's of adoption. We're ready for it. If it's one thing that I've learned from this whole medical school business, is that we can survive anything and great things come to those who wait!

Hope all of you had a great Valentine's Day!

Happy Lombardi Gras!

2010-02-10T07:35:00.021-06:00

Last night was the Lombardi Gras parade... as if New Orleans needed another reason to celebrate, right? I know there are a lot of pics (and video at the end) but I really did do pretty good - my husband took over 220 pics!

These are for all our family and friends that couldn't be here with us. As much fun as it was, it would have been three times that had you guys been here to celebrate with us!

And last but not least, a lil "Drew Dat" video! (Thanks, Maureen!)

Geaux Saints!

2010-02-07T23:29:00.018-06:00

In case you haven't turned on your tv lately, logged on to the internet or checked your Facebook page in the past couple of hours - the Saints won the Superbowl!! We won! Who Dat?! We Dat!
On our way home, we were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It was probably one of the best parts of the night! Celebrating with the city... as we all waited happily to pay our $1 toll. We rolled down our car windows and played (aka: blared!!) all of the popular Saints songs for everyone to hear. Honks were blaring, people screaming, signs being waved and lots of dancing - all while we moved 2 miles an hour and were stuck in our cars. I loved every second of it!

Black and white, young and old, Metairie or Uptown - none of it mattered. We are a city that believed. We are a city that cried together and is now celebrating together. It has never felt better to be from New Orleans!

Geaux Saints!

PS: We're pretty sure our horn died last night... that's how much it was used!! :)
PPS: Who knew my husband had DJ potential?!
PPPS: Saints pic taken from SI.com - thanks for the coverage!

Is That Wrong?

2010-02-03T14:55:00.005-06:00

I saw this pillow. And thought of Harold.

He's always accusing me of always thinking that I'm right and he's wrong. I thought how fun it would be to buy it for him and be able to hand it to him after our next fight. Then I thought how much more fun it would be, if instead of handing it to him next time he's right, I just smack him upside the head with it.

Is that wrong? :)

(Pillow can be found here)

Who Knew Bill Gates Was So Selfish?

2010-01-29T21:29:00.006-06:00

I love, love, love quotes and lil sayings. I have always loved listening to people speak and be able to back their thoughts/arguments with a cool quote or neat statistic followed by a quick mention of the person who said it or the source it was taken from. Unfortunately, my brain doesn't work that way and I am usually left jumbling up famous saying, having no clue who said it, when it was said or where I heard it. Sigh. It totally sucks.

Today I read this article on cnn.com - how cool is this? Bill Gates and his wife (don't forget the wife!) are pledging $10 billion towards the fight of many illnesses and AIDS. Wow. I am blown away. I love hearing about the ridiculously wealthy who have no problem sharing their wealth with the world. This donation is estimated at being able to save nearly nine million lives! Giving $10 billion!! Saving nine million lives!!

So why do I think he's so selfish? I once saw an interview with President Bill Clinton, which had to do with a book that he had recently published titled "Giving." Basically it was a book encouraging the poor and rich, young and old to take up volunteerism and to give of their money to worthy causes. I can't remember (of course!) if it was his own quote or if he was quoting someone else, but he said that "Giving is one of the most selfish things anyone can do." Something like that. :)

He explained that the feeling you get from helping someone is greater than the feelings of those who have just been helped, that giving of yourself and money was selfish because you were benefiting more than those that were being helped. I couldn't agree more. I have walked thru a food pantry in Dallas and know what it's like to be truly thankful for the generosity of others. I have also been in a position to help others, granted I've never had $10 billion to give, but the two feelings really don't compare.

I want to always remember and crave that feeling - the feeling of just being nice to someone. Isabella told me last week that she wants to be a "hospital doctor" and she will keep "half of her money and give me the other half so that I can help the poor people." I loved that.

I don't need my kids the be the smartest, the neatest or the cutest. I just want them be "selfish" beings - kinda how Bill Gates is behaving these days.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-27T14:49:00.002-06:00

A True Saints Fan

2010-01-22T08:11:00.005-06:00

The whole city is sooo excited about the Saints. And excited is an understatement. We've already remixed songs about how the Saints are going to the Superbowl and people are already asking off so they can tailgate all the way to Miami.

I've been happy, too. If the Saints would win a game, great! If they didn't win, I wouldn't lose much sleep over it. I called myself the fair-weather Saints fan. :) But all that has changed.

This morning, Isabella had to pick a hat for Crazy Hat Day. And this morning is when I realized, after bribing my 5 yr-old, that I am a true Saints fan.

(PS: Our grass is yellow & dead, the bright grass you see is thanks to a few Photoshop tricks!)

Our Trip to the P.A.

2010-01-20T14:42:00.007-06:00

Lucia is obsessed with changing clothes. She insists on wearing dresses any chance she can and goes through 2-3 outfit changes in a day. It may sound cute but it really can be quiet annoying.

This past Friday, I was scrambling to get a newsletter out when she walked into the office announcing that it was time for an outfit change. Her current dress had apparently become "boring." I told her that if she wanted to change, she had to go find the outfit and bring it to me because I was too busy to look (again!) for the perfect outfit.

A few seconds later, just as I had sent off my email, I hear a loud boom and crash. I flew out the door and ran into Harold in the hallway - as we both tried to make it into Lucia's room in 0.3 seconds. This is what we saw. With a bloodied Lucia next to it.
What is it with my kids and dressers falling on them? Another dresser fell on Isabella last year. I quickly scooped up Lucia and ran into the bathroom. Luckily, it seems as if the dresser pushed her back but it did not land on her. However, see that snow globe up there? The one that still hadn't been put away? It fell off the dresser and broke on Lucia's forehead. We put Lucia into the tub and showered her off. Her forehead was bleeding a good amount and she had a nose bleed, too. She really wasn't crying anymore but we decided to bring her to the E.R. since she looked as if she had a bad cut over her eye.
Turned out it was just dried up blood. Thanks to her full eyebrows, blood started drying up over her eye and it only needed to be cleaned up. I thought for sure she'd need stitches! So all weekend, when someone asked her what happened, she'd say that a dresser fell on her "and we had to go to the P.A.!" If I'd correct her, she's then say, "We went to the P.R.!"

I'm thinking we should have gotten her hearing checked while we were at it! :)

Praying for Haiti

2010-01-14T18:07:00.004-06:00

For the past few days, I have been wanting to write about Haiti and the tragedy they are living, the tragedy they will continue to live for a long time. I just can't seem to do any of it any justice.

I wanted to write about stupid comments made by ignorant people re: the earthquake but realized, how will that help the Haiti people?

I wanted to write about how seeing these people suffering reminded me of Katrina and how I still feel so much anger towards those days back in 2005, but again thought, how will this help the Haiti people?

As many of you know, I follow way too many blogs and this one here is the best one I have read. A direct way that we can all help Haiti. And I just saw here that the Red Cross has raised record numbers ($5 million dollars!!) in a matter of days, thanks to so many social networks working towards a good cause. Amazing.

And if you can't help monetarily, then just take a second to join our brothers and sisters in prayer. Unity in prayer is pretty amazing, too.

15 Min and a Tissue

2010-01-08T10:48:00.005-06:00

In researching adoption agencies, I came across many adoption blogs that I have been following now for a really long time. I love to watch these parents falling in love with their children - it's a beautiful thing to see.

This is the first video I ever watched and cried tears of happiness for this family. This sweet baby reminded me so much of Lucia, beautiful brown eyes just staring back at you and skinny lil legs. :)

(Video and family blog can be seen here.)

And this lil girl has inspired so many adoptions... it's beyond amazing! She reminded me right away of Isabella with her chubby lil cheeks and a smile that melts your heart.

Take a much needed 15 min break from your hectic day to watch these "gotcha videos" and don't forget your tissue! :)

PS: Don't forget to turn on your speakers, too.

Happy 70th Birthday, Dad!

2010-01-06T16:49:00.012-06:00

Today is my dad's birthday, he would have been 70 yrs-old! SE.VEN.TY!!!

I've been thinking about what I would write in this post for a long time. I forgot to mention his birthday last year and have felt quilty since so I wanted this to be a sweet shout-out to what a great dad he was. Here's just a few of the things my dad taught me...
• How to grade high school Spanish quizzes when I was only 11 yrs-old.
• When you lose something, don't say that you lost it. Say that you "misplaced it" - it sounds much better.
• How to balance a checkbook... probably the only time our family's checkbook was ever balanced!
• To love my brother and sister because they would always be my friends.
• How to happily close every pew in the entire church, even if I didn't put it down in the first place.
• It doesn't matter the color of your skin, just the size of your heart.
• How to make a baby smile by tickling their cheeks using just your index and pinky finger of the same hand.
• If you're going to run a red light, do it fast - not slow.
• Rush Limbaugh is stupid.
• Always offer to give someone a ride.
• Don't order delivery or eat out unless you have enough for a good tip because people live off their tips.
• Never lie, it's easier to tell the truth.
• That compared to more than half the world, I have been raised like a queen - with food on the table, a roof over my head, carpet beneath my feet and a tv in the living room.

Happy birthday, dad, you're getting old! ;)

On the Twelth Day of Christmas

2010-01-06T00:49:00.002-06:00

I was blessed to have...

twelve inch po-boys on almost every corner,
eleven Saints players I can cheer for,
ten great nieces and nephews,
nine months waiting for two moments,
eight graphic design programs,
seven years married to this guy,
six home appliances,
five countries (with family) I can visit,
four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

2010-01-05T07:11:00.002-06:00

I was blessed to have...

eleven Saints players I can cheer for,
ten great nieces and nephews,
nine months waiting for two moments,
eight graphic design programs,
seven years married to this guy,
six home appliances,
five countries (with family) I can visit,
four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

2010-01-04T12:44:00.002-06:00

I was blessed to have...

ten great nieces and nephews,
nine months waiting for two moments,
eight graphic design programs,
seven years married to this guy,
six home appliances,
five countries (with family) I can visit,
four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On the Ninth Day of Christmas

2010-01-03T13:46:00.003-06:00

I was blessed to have...

nine months waiting for two moments,
eight graphic design programs,
seven years married to this guy,
six home appliances,
five countries (with family) I can visit,
four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On the Eighth Day of Christmas

2010-01-02T21:36:00.005-06:00

I was blessed to have...

eight graphic design programs,
seven years married to this guy,
six home appliances,
five countries (with family) I can visit,
four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On the Seventh Day of Christmas

2010-01-01T18:58:00.009-06:00

I was blessed to have...

seven years married to this guy,
six home appliances,
five countries (with family) I can visit,
four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

Happy Resolutions

2010-01-01T08:05:00.013-06:00

Yesterday, I was in the car with both girls so I turned off the radio and told them we had to quickly think of some resolutions now that the year was coming to an end.

Isabella asked me what a resolution was which I found difficult to explain for some reason. I told her it was "when we resolve to do something that will make our year great and happy." Then Isabella cheerfully replied, "Oh, I have one! To go to the swimming pool - that would make my year really great!" :)

I decided to post my resolutions in hopes that it may motivate me to actually keep them past January 3rd! My 2010 resolutions are...
• To not watch tv during the week, except after 7pm.
• To teach our kids Spanish*.
• To use my stove more and the microwave less.
• To exercise more.
• And of course, to bring Isabella swimming.

This year is going to be a great one for us... I can feel it! We will officially be picking (and hopefully working with!) an adoption agency in the next few months. In May, Harold will graduate med school and Isabella will graduate Kindergarten. Thankfully, on separate days, so I don't need to choose which ceremony to attend! ;) Our trip to Costa Rica, for a much needed and talked about family vacation, is already in the works and this fall, Lucia will start school!

I really hope 2010 will be a great and happy year for us... and all of you, too!

* Totally stupid that we've yet to accomplish this task!!

On the Sixth Day of Christmas

2009-12-31T08:55:00.005-06:00

I was blessed to have...

six home appliances,
five countries (with family!) I can visit,
four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

(ps: happy new year!! xoxo.)

On the Fifth Day of Christmas

2009-12-30T11:57:00.007-06:00

I was blessed to have...

five countries (with family!) I can visit,
four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On The Fourth Day of Christmas

2009-12-29T09:35:00.003-06:00

I was blessed to have...

four working tires,
three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On the Third Day of Christmas

2009-12-28T18:29:00.007-06:00

I was blessed to have...

(Claire • Beth • Heather)

three blogging cousins,
two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On the Second Day of Christmas

2009-12-27T17:27:00.006-06:00

I was blessed to have...

two lovely daughters,
and a husband that loves his family!

On the First Day of Christmas

2009-12-26T08:23:00.006-06:00

I was blessed to have...

a husband that loves his family!

Two Days

2009-12-23T08:44:00.006-06:00

A few years ago my friend, Maureen, was in town during the Christmas holidays. I'm not sure how the subject came up but she started talking about what Mary must have been thinking and feeling with her due date fast approaching (since Christmas was just a few days away). I had always been so focused on Jesus' birth that I never really stopped to think about his poor Mom waddling around, not being able to sleep well, having to go to the bathroom every hour... all of this and more in a such a primitive world.

I found this pic of myself when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter... it was taken two days before she was born, two days before my world would change. And I think about what Mary must have been thinking today... two days before Jesus was born, two days before He came to change the world.

I still talk up the true meaning of Christmas to my kids - the birth of Jesus Christ - but as a mom, I will always be thinking of Mary and loving that I'm blessed to know a lil of what she was going thru.

Keeping It Real

2009-12-17T18:57:00.004-06:00

I looked up today and realized what a complete mess I've been living in. I decided to take a quick pic so that when my hubby gets home (currently out of town interviewing in FL), he can see how much cleaning I've been up to! The point is to focus on the cleaning I've done, not the dirtying! :)

1. Blanket Lucia used for today's nap.
2. Blanket Isabella used last night, after waking up with a bad dream.
3. Blanket I used last night, when I fell asleep on the sofa.
4. Girls eating cereal for dinner... Frosted Flakes, not even the good cereal. Sigh.
5. Empty Diet Coke cup and milk bottles from last night's McDonald's dinner.
6. Half-full goldfish container so that Lucia can help herself.
7. This morning's pjs.
8. More evidence of last night's dinner from McDonald's.
9. Mail and school papers that were cleared of the coffee table so that we would have room to eat.
10. Toys, papers and still more McDonald leftovers.
11. Shoes that haven't made their way to the shoe basket - approx. 3 feet away!
12. Groceries and some items for tomorrow's school Christmas party that were purchased a few days ago.
13. See #10.
14. Canvases that I'm gonna paint for a dear friend - have been sitting there a long, long time.
15. Dirty sippy cup - has been sitting there an even LONGER time.

Little Shadows

2009-12-15T10:54:00.007-06:00

A picture of Lucia and Maya playing under my desk - a favorite pastime. I don't get it since we are blessed to have a play room. Sometimes Lucia will sing to me or pull on Maya's ears but a lot of time, they just lay next to each other and wait patiently for me to finish what ever it is that I'm working on.

I love having little shadows... most of the time. :)

Before & After

2009-12-09T12:50:00.004-06:00

Merry Chicken Nuggets!

2009-12-05T08:12:00.008-06:00

I told my husband, during the Dallas/Thanksgiving break, that my resolution for the New Year would be to decorate for all the major holiday's. I said I would start with Christmas and so far, I am five days behind. At the time, I was thinking a lot about family, traditions and how I totally fail at creating memories for my kids.

Sometimes I feel that if I were to die tomorrow, all my kids would remember me by would be the chicken nuggets at McDonald's. Sigh. I can hear it now....

Lucia: "Remember the time we got chicken nuggets but they were too hot, so Mom had to cool them using the car's air conditioner?"

Isabella: "Yeah, that was funny! Or remember when she kept saying they were warm - not hot, so that she wouldn't have to cool them again? But then Papi grabbed them and held them up the car's A/C vents so they could cool off? Thank God Papi was there that day or we would have starved!"

Lucia: "That was funny! I miss Mom, no one can order chicken nuggets like she did!"

I know I do more for my kids than buy them chicken nuggets... there's always the near daily snowballs in the summer! :) So in the spirit of creating some fun memories, we are off to "Breakfast with Santa" at Isabella's school. It's much colder than I thought it would be when I first made these plans. Grrr. I wish we could just stay snuggled up on the sofa but since we went last year, I figured this might be a good memory to create for my girls - the yearly "Breakfast with Santa" day.

And who knows, we may just stop for chicken nuggets on the way home! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T07:04:00.005-06:00

Thankful for...
• My husband and girls
• My health
• My family
• My friends
• My home
• My life

I really need to start taking the camera out of Harold's hands - couldn't find any pics of Harold and the girls. Oh, well. Still thankful for him, too! ;)

X-Ray Love

2009-11-24T23:05:00.004-06:00

This is for my hubby. I mean, really, who else can properly appreciate an x-ray picture of me blowing a kiss? Only a husband that's in med school, that's who!

Darn You, Sky Mall Magazine!

2009-11-24T08:46:00.009-06:00

I flew back to New Orleans over the weekend for a wedding. Got to hold a 4 week-old baby and listen to a very, very good homily. It was a great trip.

Once I landed, for some reason I started having a pain in my chest when I took a deep breath. As some of you know, I had a pulmonary embolism after I gave birth to Lucia. Every time I have any type of pain in my chest or legs, I start this whole little dialogue in my head. "Go to the hospital. No, it's nothing. Really, call someone. It's nothing. Is the pain constant or only when you breath in? Just forget about it." All while I'm taking these exaggerated breaths to see if they will make me cough or feel light-headed.

Whenever someone finds out that I've had a P.E., they flip out, tell me a story about someone they knew or heard about that died from a PE and finish it off with, "You are so lucky!" And as much as I know that I am, and as thankful as I know I should be, I just can't be. It's hard to be thankful when you're busy worrying. When I try to focus on being thankful, I start feeling lucky, then question if I will get lucky again and go back to worrying. It's really very stupid.

During this particular worry session, I was trying to remember if changes in air pressure, from flying. increases a persons chances for a blood clot. Then I started with the deep breathes and wondering if every flight would now make me worry even more... all while cursing myself for not getting up and stretching my legs - darn you, Sky Mall magazine!!!

Lunch With the Cool Cousins

2009-11-20T08:04:00.010-06:00

Tomorrow, we will have been in Dallas for four weeks. Almost every day, I thought to myself that I needed to pack up my girls to go have lunch with their cousins at school. My sister predicted that time would fly by and she was right. Yet further confirmation of why she was in the GT (Gifted & Talented) Program at school and I was not. :)

Today is the last day of school before the kids are off for Thanksgiving break and we head back home. Can you guess what we did today? Yup.... had lunch with the cool cousins.

We only ate with Joshy - his class has the first lunch break. It was a great day to meet for lunch - pizza day! When there is only 10 min left before the bell rings, the teacher announces that it's "chow time" and all the kids really get down to eating, no more talking allowed. So funny... and it works, too!

Then we met up with Sophia. We all just talked while she ate her lunch. Once she was finished, she treated the girls to ice-cream cones so she wouldn't have to eat dessert without them. Is that sweet or what? And my sister wasn't even there telling her to do so! My girls got lucky - I hadn't allowed them to get ice-cream during their lunch with Joshy.

On the way out, we snapped a quick pic with Alex, just as he was walking into the cafeteria. Perfect timing and "Lunch with the Cool Cousins" was declared a huge success!

Geaux Saints!

2009-11-17T14:33:00.005-06:00

Our city is going crazy over our football team, the New Orleans Saints! And they should... we're undefeated so far and playing great. Fans are coming out of the woodwork and screaming "Who dat? Geaux Saints!" at anyone that walks by. There is something about the New Orleans Saints doing well that just makes the whole city feel better. I love it!

This billboard, in front of a local church, makes me smile at the catchy play of words and makes me wonder what the whole city would feel like if we all were fans of the true Saints. I'd love that, too!

Feliz Cumpleanos!!!

2009-11-11T22:09:00.003-06:00

Feliz cumpleanos, Mami!

Te quiero y te extrano muchisimo!!!!
- laura

Happy Birthday, Carmen!

2009-11-09T22:18:00.007-06:00

Another perk to being in Dallas was helping my sister celebrate her 34th birthday... happy birthday, Carmen! The party was a success and we didn't run out of food. :) One of Carmen's biggest worries.

We were all so busy making sure everything was going smoothly that we didn't take any pics! Ughhh!!! One of Carmen's friends took some and when I get them, I'll be sure to post. Carmen looked great - not a day past 33!!! ;)

One of my favorite memories from this trip will be Harold and I staying up late and watching Carmen and Robbie practice this fancy number! It was both fun, hilarious and touching - can't wait to show this at their 50th wedding anniversary.

(PS: I'm still a lil aggravated that the party goers chose to get into place AFTER the music started and not before like I kept insisting! Why does no one ever listen to me? Grrrr!!)

Care Bear

2009-11-04T21:19:00.008-06:00

So much for my post a few days ago about trying to have a more "saintly" attitude. Today I had to get the girls dressed and out the house in about 3 minutes flat. As usual, they decided that today was the day all the stuffed animals owned by my niece, Sophia, needed to tag along.

I quickly explained to them that this was going to be a short trip, we did not have time to take care of so many stuffed animals, that they could only take one each and that we wouldn't be gone too long.

As I started checking all the rooms and corners for my shoes, purse and keys, I turned to see Isabella walking down the stairs with an arm full of stuffed animals. Grrrrr!!!

Me: Isabella, you cannot bring all those toys with you.
Isabella: Well, I want to so I am because I'm going to take good care of them.
Me: No, Isabella, you can only choose one.
Isabella: But Moooooooooooooom, I really want to take them all.
Me: I don't care, Isabella! You can only take one.
Isabella: No, I want to take more.
Me: I don't care! Let's go - we need to go!!!!
Isabella: You never care! I wish you cared! I wish you were a Care Bear! Then that way you would care more!
Me: Me, too, Isabella. Me, too.

Yes, I know that "I don't care" is not an appropriate response but I had no energy to think of a better one and honestly, at that precise moment, I didn't care! A good Saint never lies! :)

I Want to be a Saint

2009-11-02T23:19:00.008-06:00

I once heard someone say that they hoped to make it to heaven and hear God say to them, "Well done, my faithful servant." I used to just worry about just getting into heaven much less what I would be told. Those words have stayed with me for years. It's a shame I can't remember where I heard them.

Yesterday's homily was about today's "All Saints Day" holiday. The priest said a lot of wonderful things but since we have the honor of going to mass with a 5 and 3 yr-old, a lot of his message was lost on me. The part that I do remember was how we should all want to be Saints. He said that when asked what we wanted to be, our response as Catholics should be, "I want to be a Saint." If our ultimate goal is to make it into heaven, then our only earthly goal should be to be a Saint.

I have thought about that all day and especially today when I remember family members who have passed away. My Memere, Abuelito Florencio, my Aunt Celeste and of course, my parents. I think about the day that we will all be together again. I want to see God. I want to see my family and friends. I want to finally understand what this whole adventure has been about.

So now I have a whole new set of words to focus on... I want to be a Saint.

PS: Being a Saint's football player does not count! :)

* Image from HauntedNewOrleans.com

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T10:23:00.006-06:00

We've been knowing for a while now that we were going to be in Dallas for Halloween. The plan was for all of us - kids and adults - to dress as Star War characters. That didn't happen. Oh, well. At least my nephews and niece kept up their end of the bargain!

And checkout my niece... she totally got into character!

Costume shopping this year was a nightmare between my daughter's indecisiveness and the ridiculous costume prices! Isabella and Lucia ended up using costumes that were laying around my sister's house and her friend lent us one so all we had to buy were the crowns. Not bad for a costume that was bought on Halloween Day!!! I love how Isabella isn't wearing shoes in her pic - very Cinderella of her, don't ya think?

Happy Halloween!

Crazy Hair Day

2009-10-30T09:37:00.007-05:00

We're in Dallas spending approx. 5 weeks with my sister's family. Harold's doing an away rotation, at Parkland, while the girls and I hang out and attempt to do some schoolwork. It's only been a week and I think I'll grade the week a C+ as far as having five kids and two dogs, under one roof, trying to get along and share.

This morning was Crazy Hair Day at my nephews and niece's school. I love that I am getting to share in these lil things with kids that I love as much as my own. I know this because I put one of them in time-out last night and felt zero guilt. Just like when I do so to my own kids.

Alex's hair is "long" to me but cool to the rest of his friends. Just the perfect length for a funkly lil mohawk - can't get much crazier than that!

Sophia ended up with two teased pigtails - the pic does it no justice. My sis definitely put her 80's bang teasing skills to good use. I feel for the child who sits behind her in class since their blackboard view will for sure be obstructed.

And Joshy, this lil bundle of energy is anything but neat and proper - his hair doesn't even get this slick for church. Too bad we didn't have a bowtie to add to his shirt.

When I told Alex that I was going to post his pics on here he said, "Cool! Now everyone around the whole world can see me!!!" Isn't that sweet? My nephew thinks I have a global following.

I just laughed and moved this week's grading to an A++!

Buzz, Buzz!

2009-10-26T11:17:00.004-05:00

Booty Shaking on the Front Lawn

2009-10-23T13:22:00.004-05:00

The other day I decided that I was going to celebrate my children. Not sure if I read an inspiring blog post, read a story about a child dying or saw a sweet commercial, but I was determined to see past all things that bugged me and just enjoy being with my children.

Lucia woke up from her nap and we were off to pick up Isabella. I had my new iPod playing and we were both dancing around to Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling" and I just knew that it would be a good, good day. We picked up Isabella and, I kid you not, we made it approximately 2.5 blocks down the street and I was screaming at Isabella to stop whining and complaining.

The whining kills me. Slowly. Every. Day. Sigh.

Yesterday, I decided I was a loser mom for giving up so quickly as I thought back on that afternoon. I turned on the radio and the beginning lyrics to "I Gotta Feeling" song were starting. Yes! God agreed and I was being given another chance. Lucia and I both screamed out in excitement.

We sang. We danced. We laughed. We got home way too quickly.

I quickly turned up the radio, jumped out the car, pulled Lucia out and we danced right then and there... in my driveway. Two cars drove by and one actually slowed down, probably because they thought I was trying to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on myself, but once they saw Lucia's smile and heard the music playing they kept on driving.

Nothing wrong here - just enjoying my daughter with a lil booty shaking in the middle of the front lawn.

Time to Pull Out the Suit

2009-10-17T19:22:00.006-05:00

Harold's med school "pregnancy" is progressing along. We're in the setting-up-interviews phase so I put together this map to show you guys where Harold will be interviewing soon.

I'm pretty sure I'm missing 2 or 3 other places but he's not home for me to ask - pretty sure I heard something about Emory, Parkland and Baton Rouge. Oh, well. I saw this idea on my friend Katy's blog and totally had to copy.

Katy made the comment that she realized they could end up anywhere after putting her map together. Me? I realized that I should have followed through with my high school freshman dreams of med school when I had the chance. Now I am going to be stuck at home with two kids while my hubby goes of on silent plane rides and sleeps in clean hotel rooms.

So. Not. Fair.

(If you click on the map you can read it a lil better)

Choose Hope

2009-10-13T11:10:00.005-05:00

I remember sitting in my living room with my dad. I think I was 12 or 13. We were watching a Feed the World special about the hungry children in Ethiopia. It was so sad. I remember it was just my dad and me, my sister couldn't watch these type of documentaries without crying and I'm not sure where my brother and mom were. Maybe it was late and my mom was already asleep, I'm not sure.

During a break, I turned to my dad and said that I thought if everyone in the world could give just one dollar, maybe those kids wouldn't be hungry. I remember my dad saying that not everyone had a dollar to give and the one's that had thousands of dollars, just didn't want to.

I don't know how true the latter part of his statement is today. Maybe it's more true than I want to believe. I don't know. I do know that this world is full of generous people who are working to making a difference. Hopemongers.org was created to help us, help others. The concept is simple - give $10 and help end poverty somewhere in the world.

You choose the project and they 'll take care of the rest.

A Berry Special Birthday

2009-10-13T10:35:00.006-05:00

This past Sunday we had a party for the girls.

Isabella turned 5 last week and Lucia turns 3 next week. I love having joint birthday parties for them. Not only does it justify the running around but I think it's pretty cool that it's teaching them the art of compromise and it's keeping Isabella from growing up too fast since Lucia's two years younger. This year some of the ideas were Chuckee Cheese, a mermaid party, a Dora party and I think a puppy party, too.

A few months ago, my aunt gave us matching Strawberry Shortcake outfits and the theme was quickly chosen and approved by moi! The party got a lil crazy with a house full of family and friend but in the end, it ended up being a "berry" special birthday!