Los Garrido

Favorite Family Shots

2012-01-07T15:30:00.000-06:00

Emma the Jarocha Princess

2012-01-07T15:07:00.002-06:00

Since Emma's birthday is on the 13th and we left Veracruz on the 6th, the family decided to eat some tacos al pastor, cake, 3 kings bread, etc. and celebrate Emma's birthday early. We had a small gathering with family and friends and broke open 2 piñatas. Emma is dressed up in a traditional Veracruz outfit and calls herself a "Jarocha princess" Jarocha meaning "girl from Veracruz" and princess, well...did you see the dress? It's meant for a dancing princess of the finest kind! She's almost 5!!

FUN!

2012-01-07T14:26:00.004-06:00

Ben with Chelsea the dog.

Veracruz Aquarium

Waiting to hit the piñata!

Las Choapas

Trolley ride around port of Veracruz.

Haircut!

2011 Beach Shots

2012-01-07T13:53:00.002-06:00

I had to save this one for last. He tried to go pee on the beach and then lost all his clothes in the process and was quite happy with the result!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T16:15:00.002-05:00

Emma's New Bike

2011-11-01T15:57:00.003-05:00

Emma worked hard all October to keep her room clean every single day...then she got enough stickers to get a new bike!! And we had to let the princess get the most princess-y one ever!

Her kind helper :)

He says, "STOP!".

Emma's getting so big and seeing her ride a non-trike bike makes me see this. She will be 5 soon! She's very cautious on her bike and won't drive too fast and always asks for help putting on her helmet. It was neat to see her, Emmanuel, and Ben all go out for a bike ride days after this. Are we growing into a "real" family? Hehe that is one that can go on bike rides together? Cool!

Fredricksburg, TX

2011-11-01T15:40:00.003-05:00

The Sat. before Halloween we decided to take a road trip to a place we'd never been before. Fredricksburg is one of those bed and breakfast towns with lots of little shops along the main drag that people take romantic trips to. It's quaint and reminded me of Lake George, NY without the lake. We decided this is a place that my Dad and Holly would like. Lots of bikers, cowboy boots, interesting shops, fashions, and food!

Kids playing in the park.

She LOVES flowers. The other day she told me she might be a farmer when she grows up. I suppose first she needs to learn how to touch dirt :)

¡La Fiesta de Bitos! (Ben's Party!)

2011-10-24T14:12:00.007-05:00

It be a pirate party me heartys

Fiesta de piratas

¡¡Piñata!!

¡¡Amigos de Emmanuel que vinieron gratis vestidos así!!

Emmanuel's pirate pals from work.

Pastel de zanahoria de Ben 3 años

Ben's carrot cake!

¡Mordita! ¡Lo hizo solito!

He did this all on his own :)

Presents! ¡Regalos!

Arrgh!!!

¡¡Ya tengo 3 años!!

I'm 3 years old!

October 19, 2011

2011-10-24T12:35:00.004-05:00

For Ben's 3rd Birthday, his only request was to go to the "woods" park.

Since the "woods" park is right next to Broadway Daily Bread bakery, we decided to indulge in just 1 cinnamon roll to split between the 3 of us.

Later we celebrated with Papi at our favorite pizza joint - Grimaldi's.

And we finally made it home to open that giant present!

Blocks!

Since We've Been Back...

2011-10-08T20:04:00.004-05:00

We've been practicing playing nice :/

Playing outside because the weather cooled down...hooray!

We got our zoo pass renewed.

Train ride at the park.

Yard work...yuck!

I just had to include this one...proof that my flowers were alive and well before I left them to go to NY. Since returning, the garden has experienced a majorly sad makeover!

Sacandaga Lake

2011-09-07T09:59:00.002-05:00

New York City

2011-08-14T11:43:00.014-05:00

Emmanuel and I slipped away from the kids for a couple days to visit NYC. It's only about 2 hours away, but leaving the kids always takes loads of planning! Many thanks to Mom, Grandma, John, Katie and Amy for their help.

Wednesday:

Arrive via Megabus to Manhattan.

Take Subway to Brooklyn to our super-chic Park Slope apartment. (The smell of pizza intoxicates me getting off the Subway.)

First we dropped the gear off at apartment, and then we went to the Food Co-op for a tour of the place. These food co-ops are pretty popular in NYC. The whole organic/natural/grass-fed/local foods movement was very established and booming in NYC - I found much hope in this - perhaps a window into 10 years later in the rest of the US?

After the co-op, we went back to eat some of that Subway pizza!

Back to Manhattan to pick up Daily Show tickets.

We have 2 hours to spare, so we quick take a

taxi see the LDS temple, then peek at Central Park.

Then back to Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Next on our way to

dinner we get sucked into a random massage by a Chinese couple and then enjoy dinner in Chinatown.

Last we return to apartment with intent to go back to neighboring Little Italy for cannoli. As I told Emmanuel...all of the activities are just to fill the time up in-between meals...the food is really why we're here!

Thursday:

Sleep in! No kids to wake us up!

For brunch we drank some fresh vegetable juice at local juice bar in Park Slope (Brooklyn), and then took the Subway to L

ittle Italy for lunch at the infamous Lombardi's.

Afterward we found those cannolis in Little Italy in pastry shop...and wow were they worth the walk.

Next we spent a few hours in the Natural History Museum. We really enjoyed the section about the human body and evolution. We agreed we could spend the whole day in this museum.

Next we walked (width-wise) through Central Park (see photo) to get to the Guggenheim Museum. Too bad we didn't have time to go in. Awesome place.

And our last stop for Thursday was of course dinner. We ate at this Turkish restaurant called Beyoglu. We ha

d the best hummus I've ever tasted with the best flat bread I've ever tasted (more like focaccia).

On the way home this night we did a little shopping at Urban Outfitters and tried on some funky glasses (see FB pics) and I bought a cool dress.

Friday

Sad to wake up because we are sad we are leaving! But I really miss the kids, so it's okay with me :)

We headed off to Blue Sky Bakery and picked up some muffins to bring home to our kind babysitters. Then we took the Subway to Chelsea in Manhattan and walked the streets from there to Penn Station. Chelsea is a pretty cool neighborhood - I mean any neioghborhood with a Whole Foods Market is going to have a progressive vibe to it - but we found a grass-fed burger joint!? Is this earth? So yes, we had to stop and eat lunch there. Here is the evidence that a grass-fed burger joint exists <<

We got a lot accomplished in the 2 -1/2 days we were there and we quite satisfied with what we got to see and eat. Emmanuel is a super-talented city boy with unprecedented map and people skills. What a great person to travel with! But I must say, it was a lot of walking! Wow did I sleep like a baby those 3 nights. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

We're in NY!

2011-08-06T21:58:00.003-05:00

We're all smiles here!

Hooray for the rain!

Hooray for the green outdoors!

Cool?! sand on the toes.

Great-grandma takes us to the park.

Emma's Artwork

2011-07-23T22:27:00.005-05:00

This one is by Ben. He just learned how to stop eating crayons...so I thought this was beautiful.

My birthday drawing.

Princesses in beautiful dresses.

It was so hard to chose just a few of Emma's masterpieces! She is truly an artist and will sit all day painting, coloring, drawing, writing, sculpting and creating. She knows how to write all her letters and has memorized how to write the words Mami, Papi, Ben and Emma. She tells me everyday she is an artist and that the whole house is her gallery. I have artwork coming out of my ears!

I Blogged!

2011-07-20T22:42:00.012-05:00

So the story is that one day at Brackenridge Park, I left the brakes off my stroller on a windy day. Granted, there wasn't a kid in there, but there was a bag full of picnic food, my wallet, and MY CAMERA all tumbling into the nasty duck pond. After the dunk we submerged the camera in rice, buckwheat, quinoa, with no results. No camera equals no pictures equals boring blog. Hence the L-O-N-G break. Hopefully we're back and can stay with the habit of blogging again. Here are some pictures from June (the camera was a birthday present)!

My little artist.

The background is just as interesting as the foreground in this one :)

"We rock!" he says.

Trwaped.

My girl and me on my birthday.

Garrido Family Photos

2011-04-10T22:39:00.013-05:00

Thank you Samantha Hanny Photography! I am so lucky to have a sister for a photographer!

Snow Day!

2011-02-07T22:32:00.004-06:00

Proof that February 4, 2011 it snowed in San Antonio, TX.

The roads and even USAA was shut down until 12 noon that day.

Date Night: Julieta Venegas Concert

2011-02-07T22:29:00.002-06:00

Claire's Here!

2011-02-07T22:14:00.003-06:00

Claire is my new baby niece. When she arrived, she was just 3 weeks old! Now she's 6 weeks. She's my sister Sam's and husband Adam's first baby. They are here for the first months of this year while Adam interns at USAA. We have all been enjoying every minute with Claire and her parents!

Emma's 4th Birthday!

2011-01-18T17:29:00.004-06:00

On Thurs. the 13th we went to Minitown per Emma's request.

Emma's favorite room at Minitown - the beauty/dress-up room.

That night we went to Grimaldi's - Emma's favorite pizza!

The Sat. after her bday we had an official party with her best friends.

Our Birthday Girl!

JuSt KiDs!!

2011-01-18T16:54:00.005-06:00

Ben taking pictures of himself!

Inflatables!

Emma's first driving lessons

Emma loves Chelsea the dog.

One of our last days in Veracruz. Emma says, "Tio Tavo is my favorite!"

Happy Holidays!

2011-01-11T15:48:00.004-06:00

Christmas Eve 2010. Rigo, Paty, Me, Emmanuel, Chagua, Tavo.

All the presents that Emma opened by herself Christmas morning.

New Year's Eve.

Traditional bread for 3 Kings Day - Rosca de Reyes. Homemade.

The kiddos enjoying the toys the 3 kings brought them.

The Beautiful Veracruz Oceanfront

2011-01-11T15:13:00.007-06:00

Beach food...YYYUUMMM!

I might be in trouble for posting these...

December - First Weeks In Veracruz

2010-12-30T14:39:00.000-06:00

One last stop at Chela's Tacos before we're off to Houston to catch our plane!

USAA Children's Christmas party was also the morning we were leaving...one more stop!

After one night in Houston, we were off direct to Veracruz.

Emma with her cousin Rochie and her Grandmother Abuela Chagua.

Hooray for no car seats! More snuggle time with Momma.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T22:20:00.004-05:00

This Halloween was kind of thrown together last minute. Emma ended up changing costumes twice on Halloween day (the girl has about 10 costumes in her dress-up basket in her room) and Ben, well since he's a boy and none of Emma's fairy costumes would work, we had to get creative. Officially Emma was first a Mexican folk dancer (she called herself "jarocha") and Ben was a soccer player. Later for trick-or treating Emma changed her costume to be a fairy. This is the same costume fit her 2 years ago!

Shots From Ben's Birthday Party (and a video, too!)

2010-10-31T20:46:00.002-05:00

From His Perspective: 2 Years Old

2010-10-29T21:54:00.005-05:00

When Ben was 9 months old I wrote my first from his perspective. A 2 year-old! update:

Things that make me smile: favorite songs like Slow and Fast, a bottle of milk (because we are taking it away hehe), talking to Grandpa on the phone when he makes silly noises, rocking out with Papi, playing chase with Emma, swinging and sliding at the park, the garbage truck, the neighbors, Go Diego Go, kisses on the feet, rhymes in favorite books like "Go Dog Go" and "Ten Apples Up on Top".

Things that make me sad (or mad...I do have a temper!): When Mami leaves, oh no! Going in time-out, getting locked out of a room, going to bed without GATA, not sharing, taking too long to get me out of my crib, not letting me cook with Mami, when Emma doesn't play with me.

Things that make me curious: vehicles, electronic gadgets like IPods, remotes, plugging and unplugging, new toys and books, other children, the kitchen, most anything my sister does...

My favorite things to do: play with my cars, eat tacos, go outside and play, spend time with Mami cooking and Papi dancing to "colas de rata!", copy what people say and then laugh (just like he did in this video) talk to Grandpa on the phone, watch the trolleys downtown.

September

2010-10-16T21:31:00.003-05:00

I cut Emma's hair bob-style. This is 1 of her silly faces.

Haha one of my favorites of the pair. (Another silly face.)

I finished the birds on Emma's tree which officially renders this work completed!

Try and get them to sit still, and smile, and look at the camera...yeah...impossible.

This was the day of USAA's IT party at SeaWorld. It was amazing to us that Emma wanted to have her shoes off AND walk through the sand barefoot. Previously this would have been a revolting activity due to eczema discomfort. It's little things like this that make my day...

A Fabulous Trip to NY

2010-09-11T22:15:00.007-05:00

Aunt Katie and Emma on the trampoline at my Mom's.

Handsome Ben.

Emma started insisting on silly faces instead of smiles. This rebellious nature is definitely on her father's side of the family :)

Papi was able to visit with us for about 10 days of our trip.

Holly-Gram dancing with Ben at a Numbers family gathering.

On Aug. 30 we traveled to Rhinebeck, NY to visit Emma with the famous Dr. Kenneth Bock. What an honor. This man cures autism!

Emma and Ben enjoying delicious NY apples on a blanket at the lake.

Lots of playing outside due to the beautiful weather.

Grandparents Numbers took us to Animal Land, which is like a fairytale land/zoo rolled into one.

Finally the boy sits still on Grandpa's shoulders! What a mad chase he gave us all!

Emma and Grandpa with a baby cow.

Grandpa giving kids a wagon ride around the neighborhood.

Yeah! Pa-pa's Harley boots!

The last day we were there we attended my Grandmother's Uncle Joe's wake service. These were sad days, but allowed us to sincerely reflect on the beauty of life and on God. Rest in peace Uncle Joe.

We spent half of our time at my Dad's house and the other half at my Mom's - although you wouldn't be able to tell from the pictures! Sorry to Mom, Katie, Amy, Nick, John and even our favorite Roxy the dog for having very few pictures of you all! You know we love you just the same. And if you guys shot any pictures, send them my way so I can add them!

Summer Garden and Food

2010-09-11T22:02:00.003-05:00

No this is not from my garden. This is the beautiful produce I hope to someday grow but purchase from our CSA Scott Arbor. Delicious stuff.

But this baby I am very proud to say I grew myself in my home garden.

This summer I started selling homemade chicken and beef stocks.

July-August

2010-09-11T21:46:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of the summer, we were outdoors as much as possible. But later we had to find some indoor fun as the temps got up into the high 90s. Erin and I had fun taking the kids to Tumbleweeds, Six Flags, and Minitown. Here are some summer shots:

Ben being so silly!

Emma playing dress up at Tumbleweeds.

At the park on the way to the Farmer's Market.

Emma with her snack. She started her diet in July.

Playing soccer at USAA grounds.

Emmarella

2010-07-05T15:36:00.009-05:00

This silly goose is my princess-aholic.

Don't be fooled - she's got attitude.

She's quite the expert in dressing up, marrying, kissing...

Emma the silly bird.

Emma's eczema and sensitive skin conditions have gotten quite a bit worse in the past 2 months. Life is not like a kid's should be.

Today we are going to try a new diet for Emma and with the whole family (Specific Carbohydrate Diet). One year ago I tried a pretty strict diet (GAPS) and we lasted 4 days. Emma was so picky back then that she would rather starve than eat wholesome food. Now that she's a little older and eating more wholesome foods, my prayer is that this will be easier on all of us. We have been seeing a nutritionist who recommends this diet. There are miraculous stories of children being cured of autism, asperger's, chronic diarrhea, diverticulitis, even Chron's disease. Hopefully the duration and intensity won't be as terrible with us because Emma's condition is not as severe as those mentioned. We are trying to restore proper function of the digestive tract (leaky gut, gut dysbiosis) as well as greatly decrease the amount of yeast or candida present. Once these conditions are stable, I believe her eczema will go away completely or greatly and all digestive problems AND ALLERGIES will disappear (except maybe peanut). My goal is to do this diet solid until we leave for NY on Aug. 17, and at that time, re-evaluate. Here it goes....scrambled eggs for breakfast!

Garden Hiccups

2010-07-05T15:16:00.004-05:00

Success! A lovely growing cantaloupe.

A hollow, dried-out wax bean from a diseased plant :(

Poor cucumber babies. They did so well last year!

RRRARRR! Birdies get away from my tomatoes!

Homemade scarecrow. Could anything be scarier than a red balloon-headed Emma? If the disease isn't getting my tomatoes, the birdies will not, either! Little monsters.

Summer Fun @ Six Flags

2010-06-21T22:16:00.003-05:00

Spring Garden

2010-05-31T17:56:00.003-05:00

So most of you know this is my second year gardening ever, in TX or anywhere. I have so much to learn! But I love it because it gives me a hobby I enjoy, and then veggies and herbs to enjoy. I always have a project to do, whether it be prune the tomatoes or install a soaker hose, it's fun to get outside and watch it grow.

This is my newest project in the front of the house - some landscaping. I am thinking of doing some or all of it edible. I'm still researching...

My vegetable and herb garden. Herbs in left front corner, tall plants behind them are tomatoes and 1 tomatillo, to the right of those are the cucumbers, pumpkin. On the trellises are cantaloupes, and the bushes in the front right are wax and green beans. All organic!

Back in January how the above all started. It's a miracle how a seed can grow into those giants!

Our 5th Anniversary

2010-05-31T17:44:00.003-05:00

On May 18th, Emmanuel and I turned five years old! Married, that is. We celebrated the 21st with an overnight date. It was the first time since we've had kids that we've been alone in the morning to sleep in and do as we pleased. (Thanks, Erin!)

So the lame part is that we took 2 pictures, one of him and one of me, but none of us together, and none of where we stayed. Emmanuel said that if we had 1 picture of each of us, we could "Photoshop them together" haha. (Honey if you're reading this go ahead and do it!!)

So, first we ate at Acenar, a Mexican restaurant downtown. It was a huge disappointment for our Mexi-foodie standards (so spolied!). Next we went to see the San Antonio Symphony play at the Majestic, which was very nice and cultural :) But then the real surprise came when Emmanuel started driving me up the hill by Six Flags and we kept going up, up, up and ended up at a Resort!!! We had a fancy room and pools, there was a great restaurant and even a daycare. Of course the best part was getting to be kid-free through the night AND morning.

Wish it could have lasted longer...love you babe!

Abuela Chagua Was Here (Grandma Rosa)

2010-05-15T12:30:00.003-05:00

The last couple weeks of April my mother-in-law came for a long visit. She just had to see her grand baby Ben that is a clone of his father! While she was here my house was always clean thanks to her help, and I only had to cook and do dishes like half of the days! We also did, as always, a TON of shopping, in which my budget is still recovering haha and probably hers. We definitely have our differences mother-in-law and I, but we're family! !Gracias por tu visita Chagua, te queremos!!

p.s. Sorry I'm still in April with the blogging, friends! I'm working on it!

Ben is 18 Months!

2010-04-22T21:46:00.004-05:00

Sorry for all of you who have children, but I am just so in love with this boy that I can't help but use superlatives and say Ben is the jolliest, friendliest, good-natured, affectionate, inquisitive and intelligent little boy I have ever met.

Yesterday Ben started singing, "happy happy birthday to you" - his longest sentence yet. We all laughed really hard upon hearing this and then applauded loudly. He always makes us laugh.

The other day shopping with the girls in Ross, Ben met a little boy about 4 years old. He went up to him, said, "hiieee", and then proceeded to give him a kiss on the belly, which was level with his head. The boy ran away haha.

Ben has a super appetite bravely eating pureed broccoli, cauliflower, butternut squash, liver, and un-sweetened homemade formula. He has the same types of health problems as Emma, but they are much less serious.

A little mischief...he still eats dirt from the garden! He likes to hide important things like remote controls in the dishwasher and credit cards in the windowsills. His new thing is to climb first on the kid stool, then onto the kid table, then onto the play kitchen, then stand up and reach for the mixer on the very top shelf about 4 feet off the floor!

He likes to play with the big kids and do what they do, even though he's usually too short and round for those things :) He's very independent at home and only whines when hungry or tired. He absolutely LOVES watching Diego, and when hungry, allows me to cook if I put it on.

I can't believe this boy is going for two years already! Like his new suit for going to nursery?

A Date With Emma

2010-04-22T21:41:00.002-05:00

In an effort to do big kid things with our big girl and not have to share with brother all the time, we took Emma bowling. Ben stayed back and played with the neighbor's boys. Emma kept saying, "are we on a date yet?" haha. It was fun for her to learn how to bowl, but it wasn't her favorite thing I could tell. She was kind of spacey that night, as you can see in the picture. An "A" for effort, I suppose :)

The Best Zoo Trip!

2010-04-22T21:29:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago we decided to take a chance on the zoo. We got there right when the gates opened when there was nobody there. Most of the animals were very active, and I was able to let the kids out of the stroller and walk around because there were so few people. Some of the best memories we have from this trip were the Lemurs who were so very interested in my babies - they played together almost 20 minutes! And then the okapi we got to see up-close because of the new addition Africa Live to the zoo. Both kids love animals!

Cheese smile happy to ride the train!

Lemur friend, meet Sleeping Beauty.

Neither kid was scared...but I was haha. Big black shadow jumping...

Easter 2010

2010-04-22T16:35:00.004-05:00

We did Easter this year with baskets, egg hunts, and hard-boiled eggs the way I grew up doing it. The kids had fun searching for their baskets Easter morning like it was Christmas. Lucky for us, Grandparents sent a plethora of presents :) Happy Easter!

Ben's 1st Visit to the Hospital

2010-04-01T22:42:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday Ben woke up sick and was having trouble breathing. I had never seen either child like that before - it looked like asthma. I needed to get a diagnosis and so I took him into the Pediatric Urgent Care Center. They said the virus he had gave him croup and that it was all in his throat. I left with instructions for cool mist humidifiers, cool drinks, steamy bathrooms every 3 hours, and instructions to go to the ER if I couldn't control it with those things. Sunday morning he was beyond my help, so we took him in. In the car on the way there, Ben used the little breath he had to show us his new word - "Pa-pi". In his whisper voice he carefully pronounced both syllables. This just about melted our hearts.

After walking through the doors, it was literally 15 minutes and he was relaxed and asleep. They put him on a nebulizer laced with epinephrine, and then gave him a steroid to relax the muscles in his throat and get him breathing easy. Of course he fought this all tooth and nail, so it was not fun. It was especially tormenting for me who has worked so hard to keep him out of hospitals and free from interventions.

It was a kind of letting go and trying to trust the system again (for those of you who don't know Emma was born cesarean in Methodist Hospital and Ben natural in a Birthing Center) I was happy with the treatment he got and the speed in which he was helped. I would recommend Methodist Children's Hospital Emergency Room. The Doctor was excellent.

They sent us on our way 4 hours later with some more steroid for Monday. He woke up wanting to play Monday, improved a little each day, and is 100% himself today. We appreciate Ben more than ever before and are so blessed to have him with us. I remember now not to take him for granted.

Thank you for your prayers. I really could feel them working. I mean that. Thank you.

Emmanuel's 28th Birthday!

2010-03-29T21:11:00.003-05:00

On March 24th we celebrated Emmanuel's 28th birthday. We went to Pappasitos for dinner and I made sure they sung to him, then we came home to open presents. Since we already ate dessert at Pappasitos, we ate our cake the next day. My Dad gave birthday boy a really cool antique pocket watch. The kids were excited for the festivities! Felicidades a abuela Chagua tambien...te queremos mucho!!

Emma's Potty Trained!

2010-03-29T20:25:00.003-05:00

Emma's potty story.

My friend told me the story of how she trained her baby at 2-1/2 years old by doing "potty immersion". She went to the library and rented every book and video for kids about pottying. Then for one or two weeks, they read and watched nothing else but potty books and movies. I thought this was a very practical approach and decided to give it a try. After 2 weeks of potty media I started letting her go diaper free for a convenient block of time, say all morning before nap. I this was more for me than anything - getting used to no diapers and a ticking peeing time bomb :)

The real progress came when we went 2 days diaper and pull-up free. Emma would scream, "I need to go to the potty!" as she was peeing haha. Regardless if she was soaking or semi-soaked, I would sit her on the potty in that moment. After wetting herself for one and a half days, she got it and has only had 1 peeing accident in a month's time. Day 3 she was going without diapers and pull-ups for naps and bedtime and has been ever since.

Now the number 2....well, everyone tells me that's a different proficiency exam and it seems to be true. We've had about half make it in the potty :) I have to be very diligent about timing and make her sit a while for it to happen. She's been very good when we go out and usually holds out for her own special potty. She's done a fabulous job!

It was easier than I thought and I should have done it before because she was ready, but I wasn't! Plus, Emmanuel is terrified of potty accidents, so I think he rubbed off on me! Thanks to Erin and Lexi for all their tips. I could sing the potty song right about now....haha.

Emmanuel Gone, Sam Here (now gone, too)

2010-03-10T13:48:00.005-06:00

I haven't been posting because I don't have a camera. Emmanuel left 2 weeks ago Saturday to Guadalajara, Mexico to train some guys at USAA's new post down there. He took the camera :) Good news is that my sister came with her awesome camera and skills and took some really nice portraits of me and the kids. Those are the only ones I have to post, all though a lot has been going on besides that. So forgive the picture-less summary, but here it is!

Mar 2 (Sunday)- Emmanuel leaves, Mami realizes that she shouldn't be so cocky that she'd be okay after a tantrum-y mess happens in sacrament meeting. Mami eats out on Sunday (gasp!) out of sheer desperation. As the taco nears her mouth she wonders why she is eating a taco!? Emmanuel is gone after all, and La Madeline or Panera is just across the street. The "who am I-ing" starts until Sam arrives Tues. Mar 4.

March 5-8 - Emma starts sleep walking and waking up in freakish frenzy. I start putting her to bed later (aka very tired) and it stops. Thank goodness!! Mami realizes she NEEDS Emmanuel even more. He slept walked as a child. The only thing that snapped him out of it was his father's priesthood blessing.

March 6 - Michelle holds her first ever cooking demo on how to make chicken stock.

March 7 - I take Sam to San Marcos and get the kid some clothes! She was in rags when I received her!!

Mar 8-9 - Sam is feeling better on a no-proccesed food diet (traditional) and wants to know more.

Mar. 9 - Oh yeah, Emma is potty training 1 week now and she pooped in her underpants in sacrament meeting (argh!!). In Relief Society, Kristen Weathers asks the question in her lesson, "of course you believe in Christ, but do you believe him? Do you believe the promise he has made to us through his Atonement?" My burdens fly away in this hour REMEMBERING that I believe.

Mar 10 (Mon.)- Sam and Shell (yep, family calls me Shell and Shelly) connect for real and cry our eyes out. It's not always that you can talk face to face with someone you grew up with. I love you Sam!!! Thanks for trusting me.

Mar 11 - Sam leaves and Shell feels recharged and content. Life is good.

March 15 Emmanuel comes home and we are having a party!!!

Now for some eye candy.

February Happenings

2010-02-28T12:18:00.004-06:00

With the help of the fairy, Emma gave up her chupon (paci)!!!!!! Wahoo.

The second night without paci the fairy brought

Emma dress up clothes!

The first night Emma slept without paci the fairy brought her a scooter.

(And the third and fourth night were downgraded to stickers haha.)

Papi and Mami had box seats to the rodeo, courtesy USAA.

They also gave us this little suite with snacks, drinks, TVs and couches.

After the rodeo we saw the Eli Young Band play.

Another thing to mention is that we got a babysitter we very much like and that isn't moving away anytime soon! Hip hip hooray!

Ben's First Hair Cut

2010-02-08T14:16:00.005-06:00

My baby got his first hair cut today! (That is, from a professional. Mom used to buzz him as a baby, mean mommy!) This is a very controversial topic. Many have expressed the opinion that we should never cut his curls. I say they'll grow back! This kid is curly down to the bone! We cut off 2-3 inches and he still has springs!

Before.

During (haha my distraction backfired - I gave him the camera so he'd let her buzz but then he dropped it and I had to take it away!) Otherwise he was perfectly content to get a cut.

Emma in a Dora trance while getting her bob refreshed (this was her 3rd or 4th haircut, she's a pro).

After. Happy now. (See lollipop.)

And the back - see - he still has lots of curl! My baby has sideburns....ahhh!

Aww little baby curls (tear).

Okay so maybe this whole first haircut thing is more about Mom than kid. He had a completely blissful time watching Diego, looking at the bobos (globos, balloons) and playing in his neat little car. He doesn't know his hair is cut. But Mom, who must inflict society upon him, says that proper little Jimmys must keep their hair short. And then Mom, not baby, wants to cry and save little curls from the floor and thinks her baby is growing up. But in fact he's the same he was an hour ago with long hair. He must think I'm nuts.

Settling Back In

2010-02-04T20:47:00.004-06:00

The past month there has been a lot going on, but nothing exciting enough to blog specifically about like romantic Mexican getaways and sandy beaches like last month :) But this is a pretty good idea of what we've been up to:Emma ready to be loaded in the car to go to church. She was happy to get back to nursery and see her pals.

My sister-in-law taught me how to make these and I've been crocheting away every free minute I get. They are hair clips in-the-making. You wanna buy some haha?

We were very excited to be able to join a CSA this month and get fresh, organic produce straight from the farm! This is a vibrant rainbow chard leaf. These vegetables are motivation to eat more they are so fresh and gorgeous.

Ben playing outside before the rain and clouds rolled in this week.

The rye grass me and Emma planted mid-Dec. is coming up nicely and is warding off the weeds as desired. And I climbed that tree myself to put up my new clothesline!

The Real Story from Veracruz

2010-01-15T15:33:00.006-06:00

Looking back on the vacation posts, I documented some events, but not really the everyday essence of our trip. This will be the last of them until next year, so I had better do a good job, right?

I give in, the argument is over. His curls are 100% Garrido.

Abuela was always in the kitchen cooking something up!

The day Emma's love of dogs began. Meet Chelsea.

Hammock time. Ahh.

Lets get outta here, Abuelo! I wanna eat!

So guapo...he glowed the whole time we were there. Love you, babe!

Meet Toto. Santa brought him for cousin Marina. Emma loves dogs!

Tio Tavo playing with Ben...argh...

Ben imitating Tio's face haha!

Ben got an ear infection and was losing sleep, hence the tortured face.

Uncle friend again...pals.

No one else could get this dog to calm down. She would bark, bite, jump, wiggle around, but with Emma he was still. She would roll over and let her pet her belly. Emma saying goodbye.

Emma's Three!

2010-01-13T22:07:00.003-06:00

Today Emma woke up to two silly parents singing her happy birthday in 2 languages. During the day Emma helped mommy make her birthday cake, painted some presents the 3 kings gave her, found the stash of last year's birthday gear, ate lunch with Papi, took a nap. When she woke up there was a table full of presents from HollyGram and Grandpa, Mom and Dad. When Papi got home we went to Grimaldi's per Emma's request, where she played with pizza dough and we ate. Upon arriving home, the Hartmans came over to sing Happy Birthday with us, and we cut the cake and Emma opened her presents. During the day she talked extensively with Grandma, Aunt Sam, Grandpa and HollyGram, and Abuela Chagua on the phone. It was a fun day!

Just discovered there were leftover goodie bags from last year! (Emma's cheese-face.)

Playing with pizza dough at Grimaldi's.

She took a bite (lick) all on her own after blowing out candles haha.

She begged me to buy this sock-monkey-in-a-box for her last week and thought she'd never see it again when I said no, so she was very happy!

Both kids content playing with new toys.

This was the perfect age for a birthday party! Emma watched her friends have birthdays all last year and learned the songs and traditions that go with it. I am so looking forward to this year with my 3-year-old. She's so much fun to be around.

She loves cooking and helping in the kitchen. When we were in Mexico, she helped her Abuela Chagua make empanadas every morning, even if they weren't for breakfast :)

Emma also really likes puzzles. She always requests to go to the library, Children's Museum, Zoo, and park. She likes to stay busy.

Emma has a language gift. She knows when to switch from Spanish to English and will translate for you based on which language she knows you speak. While in Mexico, she rolled her "r"s for the first time! My sister-in-law told me that kids in Mexico don't do that until 5 or 7 years old. She is intuitive by nature, so language comes easy for her.

Emma's appetite is good when it's monitored carefully. One has to be watchful of letting too many sweets and refined carbs into her diet or she'll stop eating savory foods and hold out for the sweets. Right now we can take her out and she'll eat a hamburger, a taco, an enchilada, a piece of pizza. She's not too picky I don't think, although I'd love for her to willingly eat a vegetable! The other day I was feeding her fried rice and piling the rice on top of the veggies so she couldn't see them. When I offered them to her in sight, of course she refused, and when I persisted, she gagged! It's amazing how powerful her little mind is! Of course they were the same vegetables she had been eating all along, but the sight of them and the knowledge of them in her mouth was enough to provoke a physical reaction!

Emma's skin has made some improvements since implementing a new program given to us by a leading dermatologist in Mexico. She still has breakouts, but they are more easily controlled with this mostly chemical-free treatment plan.

Emma has been equally more tender and more commanding with her brother. Sometimes I'll catch her saying "no Bitos" (while Ben is eating paper) and snatching something away from him before I even know what's going on. Ben mocks her and goes around saying "no, no, no, no" haha. She also gives him hugs and kisses in which Ben says, "nite-nite".

Emma vividly remembers people, facts, and events that even I can't remember. It is for this reason that she knows and remembers each one of her family members. She has stories and sometimes even animal names for every one of them.

The Way Back

2010-01-11T10:30:00.005-06:00

It was mostly too cold to go swimming, but at least we stopped by the beach.

I was hoping he had grown out of eating the sand...

Emma collecting seashells like a normal human being.

The morning of day 2 of the trip back, my mother-in-law showed up at our hotel! She couldn't let us go!

Hahaha.

The view from our hotel in Ciudad Victoria

Emma sharing a morning snack with brother while looking at the view.

Xalapa

2010-01-03T14:42:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we took the day to drive over 1 hour northwest of Veracruz and go to Xalapa. I was pleasantly surprised to find a quaint little city full of culture and art. The air was humid with rain looming, but fresh and crisp. There in the mountains the roads were narrow and hilly. There were lovely little shops in the downtown area and a market full of handmade original toys, jewelry, and clothes. While there, we went to the anthropology museum, to the market, and then later out to eat. History, family, shopping, food...hmm this could be my favorite place in Mexico to date!

Are We There Yet?

2009-12-23T12:44:00.003-06:00

The border

The highlight of the drive.

The most delicious TACOS!!!

WHACK A MOLE and SALSA YUMMOO

The first sign of hope...Veracruz sign!

Santa Comes Early

2009-12-17T15:38:00.004-06:00

Santa knows that we are going to Mexico on Saturday. So he brought the kids some presents early! Of course there was no protest :)

Christmas is Coming...

2009-12-05T15:36:00.007-06:00

...the goose is getting fat! (Know this song?!)

Emma with the Santa potato head piece in her mouth :)

Haha we were dressing him up.

Papi putting up the Christmas tree.

Emma decorated all by herself!

Love brother!

She took the stocking thing literally haha.

At USAA's Christmas party this morning.

Family Shot.

First Present of the Season

2009-12-05T15:27:00.004-06:00

When we got back from NY, broad-leaf weeds like dandelion and clover had TAKEN OVER our backyard. The front wasn't so bad (good thing, because the HOA would have been all over us).

It was so bad that I had to go out the day after we got back and spray the back lawn. I don't like to use chemicals, but it was an urgent problem! Anger is usually what motivates me to mow, weed whack, and in this case, spray. It's quite a nice way to blow off steam. I just kept thinking, "die weeds, die!!" while thinking about how angry I was that we had a beautiful green lawn just months ago and how I'd rather be in bed catching up on sleep from our trip. This is me getting ready to spray :)

Bull Pucky

2009-12-02T15:18:00.007-06:00

On the days that I have time, I enjoy tuning into the Dr. Oz show. Ninety percent of the time he has some very noteworthy things to say. He is one of those doctors that seem genuinely interested in we the people and not they the money-makers. Most of the time the kids go to sleep in the 2pm hour and then I have the 3-o'clock hour to fill with my choice of chores or fun things. I don't always flick off the TV at this time, and at 3pm this show comes on - The Doctors.

This show is about 90% bull crap. It makes my skin crawl, in fact. I don't know why I don't completely boycott it. I suppose it's because I want to find out what stupid thing they're about to talk about today and secretly criticize it. Today they had a lovely segment about a poor girl, not yet 2, who had reoccurring ear infections, or one every month from 12 to 18 months. And this is my main concern with the entire program, actually, and why Dr. Oz is a better Doctor. Instead of recommending practical options for the girl like nutritional therapy, decreasing the humidity and water in environment, etc. they advocated a very invasive and expensive procedure, namely ventilation tubes to be placed in the child's ears. Often they will have segments advocating cosmetic plastic surgery; which of course the artificially tan (ear, nose, and throat turned plastic surgeon) Doctor Ordon will conduct. This program is an insult to the REAL Doctors that actually care for and take care of everyday people (even though they are hard to come by these days). Gals - don't let the easy-on-the-eyes Dr. Travis Stork fool you. Tune into Oz. Your health will thank you.

New York - Amsterdam

2009-11-29T20:33:00.008-06:00

Holly had a great idea to take the kiddos to the library - free, warm, and fun!

Dad and Emma helping Ben walk in the right direction :)

My Dad was promising Emma a wagon ride for days!

She loved every minute of it.

Playing on the couch.

Dad's chaps. He rides a Harley. He's talking to my Grandma.

Holly-Gram and Emma

Grandpa's giant lasagna that weighed more than 30 pounds!

Ben enjoying every bite.

New York - The Grammas

2009-11-28T21:30:00.006-06:00

I have too many pictures to do one post, so I have to divide them like we did our trip. One set for my Mom (Grandma) and Grandma(G-ma) and another for my Dad (Grandpa) and Holly (Holly-Gram).

Mom playing with Ben at Grandma's.

My mom's a nurse and hooked Emma up with some real gear - she loves to play doctor!

Ready to eat turkey! And that's my 98 year-old Uncle Joe! Whoa!

My brother Nick and Ben (What was he looking at? Glenn?).

The matriarch in our family - my Grandmother.

Aunt Katie had the awesome idea of making a fort - the face tells all.

Thanksgiving dinner table.

Me and mom.

Emma in Aunt Katie's boots.

Emma and her Grandma.

Bitos Esta Caminando/ Ben's Walking

2009-11-12T20:40:00.004-06:00

He loves gata so much he doesn't want to let go! In 5 days he learned how to push himself up to standing from the floor, walk and carry an object, turn around, and RUN!!! AHHHH!!!

Quiere gata tanto que no la deja caer! En cinco dias aprendio levantarse solo del piso, caminar con un objecto, dar vuelta, y CORRER!!

Surrender

2009-11-03T15:20:00.003-06:00

I'm going to steal a friend's line here and say - warning! This is a ranting post.

I've had a very busy afternoon. And this is how I'm winding down. I'm writing about it to release tension and hopefully somebody can relate. I have to start with last night (Monday) so it makes sense.

5pm - Emmanuel gets home from work and I start dinner
6pm- Dinner is still not ready, and in the kid's minds it's 7pm - no good
6:30 - We sit down to eat, but Emma doesn't like what's been prepared. She screams, i try to talk her into it, she screams more, etc. Ben wants to eat too and actually go to bed, but the canvas to his chair is in the laundry room to be washed. Ben eats Emma's food instead
6:45 - Emma gives up screaming and asks to go to bed just as I was about to take my first bite of dinner. I get her ready for bed and leave her in her room. She throws a fit when I turn the light off and decides she DOES want her meatballs.
6:50 - She tries a meatball and hates it. But she earned a tortilla that way.
7:00 - My sister calls to tell me that my brother-in-law is ready for us to meet him downtown. Emmanuel's GMAT class starts online and he is busy. I leave Emma with her tortilla and put Ben to bed.
7:15 - Emma s-l-o-w-l-y eats 2 more meatballs and admits to their yumminess, along with the rest of her dinner.
7:30 - Emma goes to bed. I drop the monitor with the neighbor for some sweet babysitting.
7:45 - I leave the kitchen a mess so we can leave to see Adam downtown.
8:00 - We go out for ice cream, the boys talk geek, we walk around downtown, see Adam's cool hotel, drop him off, get a minute to hold hands, come home, crash.

Tuesday

5:00 am - Ugh! I hate daylight savings time! It's supposed to be 6 right now! Go back to sleep.
7:00 - Better, sort of. Shower. Too bad the kids have probably been up for an hour already.
7:20 - Emmanuel says, "I have to be to work early today. Are there any clean shirts downstairs?" I think but don't say, "no, but there are 30 hanging in your closet". He hands me one as I offer to iron for him.
7:30 - Get the kids dressed, bottles, snacks, iron shirt, blow dry hair, grocery list, check!
8:00 - Drop Emmanuel off, head to HEB for a few produce items for the week
9:00 - Home, unload groceries, feed proper breakfast of frozen pancakes, muffins, Danonino (Emma's treat from the store)
10:00 - Ben goes to sleep. I remember the baby monitor is at the neighbor's. Go get it, meet Kenner, play with Emma. Right. That would get her out from in front of the TV.
1:00 - Come inside from playing, lunch production. Miffy starts (love her!) so I can work.
1:15 - 3 men walk into my backyard? Oh, right, rip out dead bushes. Go talk to them.
1:20 - Timer goes off - be right back! Walk in to see Ben eating drywall off the windowsill.
1:30 - Miffy ends, oh, no! Make my plate, finish Emma's, supplement Ben's floor food :) Chair's still in the laundry.
1:35 - Remember I need to check my email. Leave my plate on the table for 1 minute.
1:36 - Ben pulled my spaghetti off the table and onto the chair. He is crying because they're spicy the handfuls he's shoving in his mouth. Rinse Ben's mouth. Comfort the poor baby.
1:40 - Emma starts itching and hiding so I won't tell her to stop. Track her down.
1:42 - While tracking Ben unloads my tupperware cupboard.
1:43 - Emma's nap can't wait a minute longer. While I read books to her I hear silence from Ben. NOT GOOD. Find him swishing in my toilet. Yell, wash baby. Finish reading books and listening to Emma's cries and then sweet silence. Ahh.
2:00 - Dr. Oz is on. Ben poops raunch. Change while watching. Try to relax. See pile of spaghetti on chair. Compelled to clean. See food all over table and floor from Ben lacking a high chair. Compelled to clean more. In the process remember that I didn't eat lunch. Luckily I didn't warm up all of the leftovers.
2:15 - Eat lunch, give Ben a bottle.
3:00 - Ben goes to bed.

And now I am in la-la land. But not for long because if there's going to be dinner, I need to clean up after last night's dinner and today's breakfast/lunch. I read in a book a few weeks ago, "Real Food for Mother and Baby..." the idea that mothering (and nursing) becomes a lot easier if you act like the mammal that you are and just surrender to it. Just give into what you can't change. There is something peaceful in all this chaos I feel when I think about the word SURRENDER. That's where I draw my peace from in this moment.

Dora and Boots Take Two

2009-11-01T18:22:00.008-06:00

The events of Halloween Day - a walk downtown, lots of picture-taking, and finally, Trick-or-Treating with the neighbors! This one's for the Grandmas and the Grandpas!

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-28T10:50:00.004-05:00

Last night was like Halloween for us all as we went to our church's "Trunk or Treat" function, in which the kiddos trick or treat out of car trunks in the parking lot. There were a LOT of people there, so it was a little overwhelming for Emma, and she was a bit creeped out by a certain joker with a painted mask, but I think she had fun and definitely learned a lot about our American tradition of Halloween. There will be more pictures of the kids later in the week, but for now...

Silly Pictures

2009-10-25T20:27:00.006-05:00

Random faces on everybody!

Ben news flash! He's walking!

Have you noticed Emma got bangs? We are getting ready for Halloween...can you guess what her costume might be? By the way, I know I cut them a little short, whoops. Hair grows fast. Poor girl. Papi has come up with a few creative ways to describe what she looks like with her new bangs. My favorite is "young medieval prince". What do you think? Real bad?

Happy Birthday, Ben! _______________ !Feliz Cumpleaños Bitos!

2009-10-19T19:43:00.014-05:00

Ben turned 1 today! Since we were all sick, we had to cancel the party. Tuvimos que cancelar la fiesta porque todos estaban enfermos, pero celebramos la familia. But we still celebrated the 4 of us. Todo el dia Emma y yo estabamos planeando la fiesta y limpiando. Most of the day we were cleaning up from the sick-o weekend we had and putting up decorations. Cuando llego Papi del trabajo, cenamos, cantamos y comemos flan. El flan salio mal porwue trate de cambiarle la receta, pero Ben le gusto...vas a ver...Then when Papi got home, the fun began. We ate kid dinner - apples, grilled cheese, tomato soup, and then I tried to alter the BEST flan recipe ever to make coconut flan, but that didn't work too well. But at least Ben liked it...you'll see...

Pictures of infant Ben...
Fotos de Bitos el infante

Gonna get the camera!
Va a atackar la camera

Globos

The not-so-great cake (flan).
El flan de coco que salio mal.

What Ben did to it.
Lo que hizo Ben al flan.

Presents from Grandma and Gma :)
Regalos de Nueva York.

Un año.

1 Year Ago

2009-10-18T23:30:00.005-05:00

One year ago right now in this moment Emmanuel was driving me to the Birth Center running red lights with me panting in the passenger seat. Emma was safe asleep in her bed, and had no idea that little brother was about to change all of our lives.

It's amazing how far things can change in the space of a year. The house was brand new then. Now it's complete with bite marks and crayon on the walls. Emma still had the fat in her cheeks like babies do a year ago. Now she's "pretty" instead of "cute". When did that happen? Ben went from rat baby to bald baby to crazy curl baby. And these are just looks I'm talking about. The real measure is what happened inside of all of us over the space of one year.

I took things day by day since Ben's birth. I really couldn't handle more than that unless it was dinner, which I would plan out for 3 days. And now, 365 days later, one day at a time, I've become a different person. I was just telling an old friend - "when Emma was born, I would put her to bed, tell Emmanuel I was going to HEB, get in my car, blast the music and sob all the way to HEB. Then I would put on my poker face, spend $100, get in the car again, cry all the way home, clean myself up, and unload the groceries". It was during this time that I was "breaking myself in" to motherhood. Some describe this change that takes place in a woman as "your life is over". I say, "your life is never the same". In a good way. A hard way, but hard is good because it makes you better.

Ben being 1 in a couple of hours marks a major milestone for me as a mom. And it took very few tears to get here. Emma broke me, Ben trained me. I made it to 1 with kid number 2! It's kind of downhill from here - soon bottles will be gone with morning naps. Soon Ben will be using small sentences. And with that Emma will be learning her letters and making jokes.

And together, day by day, we'll all just keep doing the best that we can. I guess the important part is the "together".

The Children's Museum

2009-10-16T20:39:00.003-05:00

Tuesday I was feeling brave and adventurous and decided to drive downtown and take the kids to the San Antonio Children's Museum. It helped that I had a buy 1 get 1 free coupon and I paid for parking with our change bucket money (I'm so cheap :)

Emma "milking" the "cow".

Emma shopping in mini HEB grocery store - this was her favorite part.

Emma in her chef jacket unloading her groceries in the kitchen to cook them up!

Haha lion? Nope, baby. He loves mirrors :)

I thought this was as funny face.

Stop That!

2009-10-16T20:31:00.005-05:00

You are looking at a picture of what Ben does to the wall below our windows. The kid always had a ravenous appetite about him, but DRYWALL?!

Update

2009-10-07T11:06:00.002-05:00

How does an otherwise loyal blogger go dormant? 1 word. The kitchen. The source of my success, my defeats, my stress, and my haven.

Honestly, I am starting to wonder if there is a cure for Emma's condition. I can control diarrhea, but not eczema. Eczema is a wild mind of it's own.

I took out all 31 of Emma's allergies out of her diet (of the most annoying are chicken, wheat, rice, corn, eggs, apples and bananas). I tried to go 1 week using alternative grains like quinoa, millet, oat, etc. I rotated the remaining foods to once every 4 days, including fruits, to avoid developing new allergies and sensitivities. I made a lot of pancakes and popsicles. After 1 week, her skin was the same or worse. What is the deal here?

Dancing Babies

2009-09-17T12:14:00.003-05:00

Long before a ring ever hit my finger, I had my eye set on this guy that was in a band at BYU-I. I could've watched him play the guitar all day long. I liked it that he was in the band but not the singer - cause then ALL the girls would go crazy for him, and I couldn't compete :) When the guitar player and I started dating we would frequent Craigo's - the old one by Hogi Yogi in Rexburg. His band played there every week with a lot of other bands, so we would watch the others play until it was his turn. It was there that we saw our first pair of dancing babies. There were 2 of them - spinning, bobbing up and down - without a care in the world. The place was packed - but to those babies there was plenty of room for them to dance, and they didn't care if everyone was staring at them.

Not specifically talking about our future marriage (yeah, right), Emmanuel and I both agreed we wanted to have dancing babies ourselves someday.

In Emma's mind, dancing with a boy + wearing a dress + kissing = getting married.

I Have an Opinion, Dammit.

2009-09-10T11:46:00.007-05:00

Emmanuel and I had a very intelligent conversation last night after President Obama's speech. He made me realize that when I don't practice voicing my opinion, it gets harder and harder to do so. And sometimes, it's important to stand up for what you believe in.

Usually I tell my FRIENDS not to talk politics around me. I do this because I disagree with most of my friends and family in that area, and 1) don't feel it's worth my time and 2) don't want to affect friendships. I've found the latter especially important with women. I don't feel it's worth it most of the time because I truly believe that we all have our politics opinion based on a lot of factors that are very personal, and I chose not to judge those factors. I'll leave that up to you-know-who.

Some argue that most of the people who are criticizing the health care reform are those who do not have personal experience with how our health care system is faulty. They are probably happy with their insurance. Few have personally known anyone with a health care-related problem. So let me share ours, which is nothing compared to others out there, but still valid.

Jan. 2007: Emma is born c-section after having pushed 2 hours on my back in a hospital bed. She is given antibiotics to counter an infection I had from being in labor too long. I am unable to nurse her for 2 days because she has to be under supervision during antibiotics. She is supplemented.

March 2007: Emma is given topical steroids to treat eczema.

Sept. 2007: Emma is diagnosed with toddler's diarrhea, even though she is only 8 mos. old (not a toddler yet). There is no explanation as to why. I am told to put her on the B.R.A.T. diet (bananas, rice, apples, toast) to control it.

Jul. 2008: Emma gets her first allergy blood test, which shows food allergies to peanuts, sesame seeds, egg white, wheat and soy. It is suggested that we see an allergist.

Jan. 2009: Emma gets her first skin allergy test, which confirms the above allergies and includes 10 others. She is developing more allergies. Dr. says to give Zyrtec each day.

April 2009: Emma has diarrhea 2-3 times/day for a month. BRAT diet no longer working.
Family doctor says to see a pediatric GI Doctor.

May 2009: Emma sees GI Dr., gets another RAST test (allergy blood test) in which a bunch of other allergies show up. GI Dr. suggests a probiotic, elemental liquid drink, and refers us back to the allergist.

May 2009: We go back to the allergist, he looks at blood test results, suggests following a gluten-free, corn-free diet.

June 2009: The money runs out and Emma's condition is worsening. I get on my knees and pray. Books fall into my lap. I educate myself.

Sept. 2009: Emma's condition is improving. She no longer has diarrhea. She never uses a steroid for eczema. She is treated with diet, supplements and baths only because that's all that works!

So after reading this sequence of events, maybe some of you will understand my frustration with our health care system. The original advice I was given, which was to put Emma on the BRAT diet, could have been the reason her condition worsened (she was allergic to wheat, bananas, rice, and apples at one test or another).

I wasted 2 1/2 years going to appointments, spending money on supplements, prescriptions, etc. But! I had pretty good insurance, which is more than many can say. Now I have a treatment plan for Emma in which insurance doesn't pay a penny for. It's all about nourishing food and healthy fats. Even if I were eligible for food stamps, they wouldn't even pay for that. So now I'm more broke than I've ever been, but I claim her health for it and I'll take it. I don't want to bash our system and say it's all bad. But I am ticked off that not one single doctor, out of 5 or 6, could ever tell me something to really help my daughter's condition. It was all about treat the symptom and not the underlying problem. What kind of system is this? It's 1/6th of our economy, that's what kind it is. It's based on profit. And it's messed up. Our doctors are there to make money, and make sure that we consistently make them money. I reject it.

So if you ever see us selling our house, our car, dressing in rags, I will blame somebody (and then pray about it and forgive them) and that will be our health care system and the insurance companies that uphold it! Dammit!

Growing Pains

2009-09-04T20:15:00.005-05:00

Emma has done a lot of growing up in the past month. Her and I went on the diet mentioned in the last post for 4 days, and then we cut back on the extreme and tried to do a compromise of our usual diet and that diet (GAPS). It is not working for us. Emma's skin only took 3 days to go from pristine clear to scabby and inflamed. So we will be going back to a version of it, as soon as I get organized. It's so hard making drastic changes in the kitchen!

Since our diet start Emma has been very brave trying new foods. She's been trying green things - today it was soba noodles with pesto and she ate some broccoli with her eggs the other day. She chose some grapes at HEB the other day (she's never eaten a grape before) and to my delight she was munching on them all the way to the checkout!

The 4 days of this diet were tough for her. I felt it too...it was like doing a natural detox. The first 2 days I had a headache that would not subside. Days 3 and 4 I felt great, but I was eating a lot more than she was. She wouldn't eat much at all. I did rule out that she has an egg allergy, however, because she was eating a ton of those.

Through all of these ups and downs, Emma is seldom rough with her brother, who is very curious about her toys. Instead of hurting him, she screams for me to come get him, and then when I won't she will let him bite her and pull her hair without retaliating! He gets very frustrated with screaming. I do too :)

Today my brave girl went to the dentist and let them scrape and clean her teeth with their power tools. I couldn't believe my eyes. She's really growing up. And then she knocked my socks off this evening...

At the dentist they told me she has to get rid of the chupon (pacifier). It's altering the shape of her mouth. So, with my recent experience of cold turkey approaches, I decided to just do it. This afternoon I told her that her nap was the last time she was going to use them ever. She cried, curled lip pouted, and then cried more. I almost wanted to cry too. It's a baby thing - pacifiers - and I don't want her to grow up! And, she's been through so much, those chupones have always been there to comfort her when she feels bad and mami isn't enough. So, she sucked on them for about 1 1/2 hours, came downstairs, said she wasn't tired (haha) and I got the feeling she was done with them. So I got the scissors and asked her to help me cut them up. I helped her cut the nipple off each one. She wasn't sad doing it. she put all the nipples on her fingers and was playing with them. Then we put them in a box and used it as an instrument. Ben loved this.

I thought for sure bedtime would be a crying frenzy tonight. But when it was time, she didn't cry, she just asked for them. We prayed that Heavenly Father would help her be a big girl. I left the room with no requests or cries following me.

I am so proud of Emma and her victories. Her strong spirit produces her tantrums, but also her bravery and faith. She is an example to me, a 25-yr. old, when she gives up something that means so much to her in a matter of hours. She is an example to me each day when she gulps down the gross supplement concoction I make for her instead of spitting it out on my face. She is an example to me as she sincerely prays with me at night to bless her body to heal. I am so grateful for my little girl...my big girl...my Emma.

Emma Goes On a Diet

2009-08-24T13:08:00.007-05:00

To any of you who think I'm crazy after having read this, let me tell you that it's taken me a long time and a lot of research to get to the place that I am now. I didn't know anything about nutritional therapy for allergies, asthma, ADD or autism. I didn't even know the 4 were related. But now that I do know I can't pretend that I don't and hide under a rock. I have to do something about it.

Emma goes on a diet.

Emma's recurrent symptoms - yeast infections, diarrhea, itchy rashes, and mood swings have had me buried under a pile of books for almost 4 months now. I'm ready for air - and ready for action. Today we start the GAPS diet, or Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet, book by Natasha Campbell. What that means specifically is that she starts out eating vegetable soups, homemade broths, ginger tea, and small amounts of homemade yogurt for an indefinite period of time. It shouldn't take longer than 2 weeks, but her yeast is persistent and stubborn (it didn't clear with 1 month of Nystatin!) and it's hard to tell. After that we slowly add foods and watch for reactions.

There are several approaches to this diet, but I chose to start it "cold turkey". Might sound harsh, but you should have seen Emma yesterday. At bedtime Emma was suffering from the above symptoms like I've never seen before. My biggest fear was that generally she does not eat soup. And I am happy to report that this morning, she drank it through her straw Thermos. But really this is a small victory seeing that we have to continue this on for a few days. To help me understand her better, I am following along, too. It will be good for me to conquer my cravings for sweets. And I'll be able to focus just on this one menu:

Week 1/Step 1 Menu (that's to say it might not take 1 week, it could take a few days)

1. Glass of room temp water 1st thing in morning
2. Homemade chicken broth seasoned only with salt and pepper
3. Soups made from this broth and meats that came from making the broth
4. Ginger and honey tea
5. Probiotics in the form of homemade yogurt mixed into each bowl of soup or broth
6. Cod liver oil and other probiotic supplements.

What is this supposed to do? The Dr. says it best...

People with food allergies and intolerances should go through the Introduction Diet in order to heal and seal their gut lining. The reason for allergies and food intolerances is so-called "leaky gut" when the gut lining is damaged by abnormal micro flora. Foods do not get the chance to be digested properly before they get absorbed through this damaged wall and cause the immune system to react to them. Many people try to identify which foods they react to. However, with damaged gut wall they are likely to absorb most of their foods partially digested, which may cause an immediate reaction or a delayed reaction (a day, a few days or even a couple of weeks later). As these reactions overlap with each other, you can never be sure what exactly you are reacting to on any given day. Testing for food allergies in notoriously unreliable: if one had enough resources to test twice a day for two weeks, they would find that they are "allergic" to everything they eat. As long as the gut wall is damaged and stays damaged, you can be juggling your diet forever removing different foods and never get anywhere. From my clinical experience it is best to concentrate on healing the gut wall with the Introduction Diet. Once the gut wall is healed, the foods will be digested properly before being absorbed, which will remove most food intolerances and allergies.

If you want to read more about our journey with Emma, see these posts:

Food Blog Letter to Readers

June 4 '09 Update

Searching for these links made me realize that I haven't commented too much about this. We deal with it everyday, but I guess I just tried to keep the blog light and cheery.

Well, I'm starving, so I better get in the kitchen and make myself some soup before I raid the chocolate stash! Thanks for reading!

Emma Rides Her Trike...

2009-08-19T14:29:00.003-05:00

...all by herself!

A Favorite Quote

2009-08-13T14:57:00.005-05:00

"People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others." -Youssou N'Dour, musician

I found this quote on a Starbucks cup at least a year ago, and I've saved the cup just as long so that I could read and re-read it. I love finding words that sum up exactly how you feel and you didn't have to think about how to write it yourself.

What do you think? What have your cultural experiences been and how have they taught you?

A Weekend in Corpus

2009-08-10T14:07:00.004-05:00

We had to trap Ben in the pack n play because he was eating sand by the handful!
All the kiddos are burying Emma's feet :)

I think he's pretty cute...

Oh, him too. See the top teeth?

So movie-star!

My sister-in-law drove from Veracruz to Disney in Florida! And lucky for us, she stopped to rest in Corpus Christi. So we went down to see the Lopez-Garridos for the weekend. The highlight of our trip was that Emma LOVED playing with her primos (cousins) and of course, the beach. Family and the beach. What more can you ask for?

Idaho/Utah Pictures

2009-08-06T13:16:00.006-05:00

My very best friend from home - Brittany. The day we arrived we had a snippet of time.

Grandpa and Uncle Nick entertaining Ben.

Uncle Nick "dancing" with Emma at the reception.

Mom

So sad...saying goodbyes to Grandpa.

Feeding the ducks across from the temple.

A very artistic shot Papi!

Swimming at the Staybridge Inn's waterpark.

Sam is Married!

2009-08-01T20:54:00.005-05:00

I knew Sam was getting married last fall when she told me about this guy - Adam - that she hung out with everyday and was beginning to be her best pal. It was her first semester at BYU-I, and it was a little unbelievable to all take in seeing as she just graduated from high school and just weeks ago we were talking about her 1st high school love and the awful heartbreak that came with him. Sure enough, the way she talked about Adam, I knew this week would come.

When they both came and stayed with us for 3 weeks in April I kept pinching myself because it seemed too good to be true. How did she manage to fish out such a stellar catch so fast? I couldn't believe my eyes as Adam swept my kitchen floor and played for hours with my kids. He patiently listened to Sam when she was sad or frustrated, and he encouraged her to be better and maintain good habits. Would they make it to the temple on July 29th? Maybe it was too far away?

Well, I am happy to report that they made it. The morning of the wedding things were rushed. I forgot my temple recommend, my hair got done bad at the beauty college, and I almost thought we weren't going to make it. When we got to the temple our escort kept telling me and my mom to take a deep breath. Ha. He could tell we were going crazy inside, both because we were running around like nuts and because our sister and daughter was about to get married. When the temple sealer walked into the room and started to talk, he immediately got tears in his eyes. No one could deny that the Spirit was so strong. As I held Emmanuel's hand I remembered the covenants he and I have made and the trials my sister had and the amazing progress that she's made to get her to that place. I was filled with emotion hearing the short, simple oaths. Sam and Adam kept pretty dry-eyed. The sealer reminded us of a famous church quote, what happens in the temple is real life. Everything else is just fake. It was in these moments inside the temple this day that our schedule, the family dramas, etc. didn't matter. Time stood still.

I am so proud of you both, Adam and Sam. Thank you so much for the chance you gave us all to see and know of your temple sealing. We applaud your strength and look forward and ahead to your exciting lives together.

Here are some pictures of my little sister, my pal, my playmate. Love you.

Sam around 6 years old - so cute!

One of my favorite pictures of us sibs.

Me and Sam - ages 6 and 1-ish.

Haha like my hair? Was it the 80s or what?

Benjamin Is Nine Months!

2009-07-17T14:35:00.011-05:00

My sweet baby is getting so big I want to cry! I thought I would make a little post about him, from his perspective:

Things that make me smile: dancing, tapping to the beat, ricky-ran, pat-a-cake, saying "hi" and waving after I wake up from a nap, playing with Emma, tickles, clapping, Papi coming home, making big splashes in the tub.

Things that make me sad: when mami or papi make me fall asleep on my own, when they take too long to make a ba-ba, and when Emma rolls or sits on me.

Things that make me curious: the vacuum, open doors (refrigerator, bathroom) little bits of junk on the floor.

My favorite things to do: play the toy piano, look out the window, climb the stairs, "share" Emma's toys, pat a drum, shake a maraca, stand up and then lower down really hard bottom first in the tub so that it makes a big splash!

Things that make me so guapo: my big brown eyes, my chubby creases and rolls, my dark curly hair. Okay, maybe this isn't from his perspective, but c'mon now, I just had to!

I can't wait to celebrate your first birthday little guy! We love you!

Everything Jesus!

2009-07-15T13:19:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we drove out past Shertz, TX to go to the Everything Jesus Ranch. It was down a long dirt road...

Emmanuel and Ben on the tour/hay ride.

Emma's favorite part - the piggies! I think she was surprised that they actually don't say, "oink, oink" but in fact they kind of snort and grunt.

Ben and Emmanuel on the front porch rocking chair. They sure love each other and are always playing. If only we didn't all look like a pack of city rats and were wearing overalls or something...

Momma piggy looking straight at us! A little creepy...

A Rain Celebration

2009-07-10T15:18:00.003-05:00

Growing up in the Northeast, rain is almost always a burden. If you want to go out and do something, you must check the forecast first. Rain spoils days at the lake, trips to Six Flags, and driving safely. We have verses that talk about the rain man and sad children wanting to play: "rain rain go away, come again another day, me and ___ want to play".

But here, it's the complete opposite! I hope for rain everyday of my life! I hope it rains so that it cools off and we get a break from the sun. I hope it rains so that my grass doesn't die and I don't have to figure out when it's legal to water my garden. This is how Emma and Benjamin will grow up, loving the rain. And this is the day it began for Emma, on Wednesday.

Zoo Fun

2009-06-28T15:52:00.008-05:00

Emma insisted on her and her neighbor friend Kenner holding hands.

Stuck in the stroller.

Playing at the Zoo's Riverbank.

Ben liked the fishes.

One of the zoo monkeys got loose!

Father's Day Reflections

2009-06-22T15:07:00.003-05:00

This is one of my most treasured pictures.

I realized while staring at it one day that this picture holds the most significance for one person in the world - me. These are the most important, most loved men in my life.

I also realized as I look at this picture that both of these men are very different from me. One owns my genetic makeup and the other claims the end result after years of parenting. One holds my roots and the other my trunk, leaves, and branches. When I look at them, I see different reflections of myself. Each of these reflections is equally important, and one cannot be without the other.

How blessed I am and my children are for these men in our lives. They are good men. I'm not just saying that because it's Father's Day and I'm being gracious. They are truly good men. I am proud to be with them.

Kid Compare: Father/Son

2009-06-21T17:11:00.003-05:00

Ben, 8 months.

Emmanuel around Ben's age being held by his oldest sister, Laura.

So the good news is...

2009-06-18T14:35:00.004-05:00

I have a majorly huge cucumber plant (8 feet long!) who produces delicious slicing cucumbers all for me to eat (nobody else in this house wants them). I am so proud of this cucumber plant because I grew it from seed. It's like my third child that way haha. It tasted delicious chilled with a little lime and salt.

And the bad news is that the beans and peas aren't doing too well. I was talking to this gardening buff lady who said it's been a super hard year to garden because of the irregular temperatures and rainfall (lucky me!). We'll see if they can survive the drought now.
The other things producing now in the garden are basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, serrano pepper, roma and celebrity tomatoes. The first fruits of the tomatoes had bottom rot. But I got this calcium stuff for the soil and hopefully the second round will be alright. The cilantro plant dried up and I got a TON of seeds (it's not a summer plant). So if anybody wants some leave me a comment and I'll save them for you. I am for sure planting them in the fall, fresh cilantro is the best!

Benjamin Bounce Bounce

2009-06-10T22:38:00.005-05:00

Ben is almost 8 months (fhewww time flies!) and he's more alive than ever! He is crawling all over the house exploring with his hands and mouth. He's eaten a sticker (which came out perfectly in his poop) and a small ball of homemade playdoh, which made him break out in a rash. My floors have to be immaculate or he finds it!

He's still super happy and easy-going. Most of the time he's independently exploring or getting rolled on by Emma. Ben always makes Emma laugh. The two of them are developing a beautiful friendship.

A couple of times I've caught Ben lifting himself up and even trying to climb. On the stairs a couple of times, on Emma's TV chair, on Papi's guitar case. He's not wasting any time! Days after he got the crawling thing down he was lifting himself up!

He weighs around 20 lbs. and is taller and has bigger feet than Emma did. We've been letting his hair grow out just to see, and it's curly like his Dad's!

Ben is our jolly ball of sunshine.

Emma

2009-06-04T16:26:00.005-05:00

The other day I was about to scold Emma for taking so many baby wipes out of the container. Then, instead of doing so I decided to follow her and see what she was up to. I found what is pictured here: 1 "baby" per step, face down, with a baby wipe on each of their backs. She told me she was putting her babies to sleep. I proceeded to let her take as many wipes as she wanted for a couple of days, until I could no longer stand the waste :)

My sweet Emma is super creative, a star to her brother, and Mami's little helper. But she's been pretty sick. That's the reason I have been inactive from my blog for 2 weeks now.

As some of you may know, Emma has a slew of food allergies. It was my understanding that they were a passing thing and that I shouldn't pay too much attention to them and they would go away. Well, that advice was wrong. Emma had diarrhea for about 2 months before I took her to a specialist. After some extensive testing, we found out the good news and the bad. She does not have celliac disease and her allergies are likely to pass. However, she has a moderate allergy to wheat, corn, soy, and rice, among others. What that means is that she can't have any one serving of those grains twice a day, and for the more severe ones, not twice in 3-5 days. For those of you familiar with celliac disease and the gluten-free lifestyle, most alternatives to wheat all have corn, soy, or rice in them.

Needless to say, it's been a hard couple of weeks for Emma and I. It's a horrible feeling to have your kid crying at you because she's hungry while your mind is blank at what to feed her. We still have those moments, but hopefully they are mostly in the past. I am happy to say that in the 2 weeks her diet's been changed, she was only sick once, whereas before, it was every day. Unfortunately though, since the change in diet, her eczema has flared up horribly. Emma is my jigsaw puzzle. Together with the Lord, we're working on it.

Happenings

2009-05-18T21:46:00.003-05:00

Mother's Day

Having a blast at the Hartman's pool.

Papi fell off his new bike 2 weeks ago.

A wax bean! My very first harvest from seed! Ate it yesterday. Wish there were more!

Happy Anniversary Baby! I love you!
(Today eating fondue at the Melting Pot.)

Ben is talking!

2009-05-15T11:36:00.003-05:00

Ben's first syllable was "ma", which was about a week ago. Then yesterday, he said both "ba-ba" (which I believe is bottle) and "em-ma" to get his sister's attention!! I couldn't believe my ears! Ben talks!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T15:41:00.005-05:00

Mother's Day is more about women than it is about moms. I think whoever made up Mother's Day made a serious misjudgment about women.

When I was in Young Women's and Mother's Day rolled around, I used to be embarrassed that the bishopric asked the girls to stand with all the mothers present when the boys handed out flowers or cookies at the end of the meeting. The reason for this is I didn't understand why I was being included if it was a day for moms.

I understand now that I've been a mom for a couple of years that Mother's Day celebrates the qualities that a mom shows as she nurtures her children. Selflessness, kindness, generosity, service, to name a few. But I believe that all women posess these qualities as a gender and women who are not moms can develop these qualities by doing things other than rearing children.

For this reason Mother's Day should be called women's day or sisterhood day. And then it probably wouldn't be celebrated as much, but at least it would include those of our sisters that feel left out by the term "mother".

So this day I pay tribute to all of my sisters, my friends and family who are moms and not moms. I pay tribute to the generations of moms and women before me who made me who I am today. How blessed we are to have eachother to learn from, to lean on, and to love.

pictured above: me, my grandma, my mom, and Emma

A Tooth!

2009-05-04T15:19:00.002-05:00

Poor Mr. Benjamin is getting a tooth, and his days have been spent looking a lot like this :(

Emma's Haircut

2009-04-30T15:20:00.020-05:00

About a week ago, I just got sick of waiting for myself to find someone to cut Emma's hair, and I decided to do it myself. I MEANT to take off 2-3 inches, but I kept messing up and it kept getting shorter and shorter, until it looked like this...

And I don't think I could do it again, seriously it was just luck, so if any of you have a great kid hair-cutter suggestion, I'm open to it!

Chocolate Pancakes

2009-04-30T12:25:00.004-05:00

Last year I bought a book called Deceptively Delicious about sneaking healthy foods into your kid's diets. I used it to make about 5 recipes and than gave up. Emma nor I wanted to touch any of that junk.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a new book from The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue series in an attempt to give this concept a second chance. I don't know about your kids, but I can't get Emma to eat anything green unless it's candy.

So I was absolutely delighted to see Emma eat not 1, not 2, but gobble up 3 of these chocolate pancakes. What's sneaky about them? They have spinach, blueberries, and whole wheat! Even me and Emmanuel ate them, and they tasted good. I've been cooking recipes from this book ever since, with 100% success rate. If your kid won't eat veggies, has allergies, or if you need some healthy on-the-go breakfast recipes, this is the book for you! Check out her website (click on chocolate pancakes) for some free recipes, including a healthy cake recipe!

Garden Update

2009-04-24T20:42:00.004-05:00

With the rain and sun combo we've been having, a lot of growth has been happening in the garden. My cilantro has sprouted a second stalk straight up about 1 foot. My tomatoes continue to grow and look healthy as ever. My peppers are a little troubled because of the low lows we've had this month, but I have high hopes for them. And herbs are so easy! All of my herbs are healthy and producing well. I love them because I bought them as transplants and they were ready to harvest then. So whenever I need rosemary, thyme, parsley, cilantro, or basil, I just go out and snip away! And I waste so much less than I would buying it in the store. At least that makes me feel better. But I am worried about my beans and peppers...

The garden about a week ago when it was rainy.

A beautiful young cuc.
(Great pic, Sam!)

What the garden looks like now.

Ben is 6 Months Old!

2009-04-20T21:41:00.011-05:00

Ben is 6 months already. I feel torn between my selfish side and my mommy side because I want him to grow up and sleep through the night and walk and play with his sister and run around in the backyard, but I want to keep him little and snuggly and sweet forever and ever!

Ben's personality can be summed up in one word. Jolly. He's always happy and only complains, not cries, when he's hungry and tired. He's rocking up on all fours and scooting backward. He's working on sitting up by himself. He can roll both ways. He really likes drooling and chewing whatever he can get his hands onto. No teeth yet, but we just started him on solids, so I bet they'll come in a month or so. He's pretty consistently getting up once a night to eat, and he usually goes right back to bed. It took a few months of training, but I can lie him down in his crib and give him his pacifier and he'll just fall asleep on his own.

Ben has been such a blessing in our lives. We are grateful for his ever-smiling self and his sweet, loving spirit. Here's to another 6 months of milestones and fun!

My New Garden

2009-04-16T23:28:00.003-05:00

Early in March I got serious about wanting to start a vegetable and herb garden. I was in the research phase when some of our buddies came over for dinner. Before I knew it, we were digging up the backyard, buying equipment, and setting appointments to get the 2 yards of dirt we needed. It was hard to get started - it was a lot of hard manual labor and it took time we didn't think we had. I've said a million times that I wish I had a TX gardeners for dummies book. I really have no idea if this is going to work. But I had to give it all I had and set it up the best I knew how from my reading. So this is the picture-story of the setting up of our new garden:

The Martinez' helping us dig up the sod.

We couldn't believe all this dirt was going to fit in the 8 by 8 garden bed, but it did!

Building the bed up with landscaping timber.

All filled and ready for planting!

My little seedlings.

This was about a month ago, and so much has transpired since. To be continued...

Grandpa and Holly-Gram visit from NY

2009-04-10T15:58:00.006-05:00

Grandpa and Ben at Salt Lick (yum!)

It's snowing in NY as they are lying here...

Ben and Holly-Gram

Ready for Shamu the whale to splash us at SeaWorld! (Emma cried when he did.)

My Dad celebrated his 49th birthday here with us.

Ben - 5 Months

2009-03-28T20:16:00.006-05:00

Ben rolled over last week! He fell asleep trying to push himself over :)

Talking to Momma - Starting to get very interactive!

Ben goes to church, too - check out the little vest!

Emma Goes to Church

2009-03-27T14:15:00.002-05:00

Emma looks so pretty going to church each Sunday. She loves going to nursery (Sunday school) and knows all the kid's names in her class. She learned "I Am a Child of God" just hearing it once or twice and taught it to me! I am so proud of her growing social skills. Gracias a Marina por los vestidos mas lindos que diste a Emma!

Ready to get in the car to go to church.

Catching one last glimpse of Dora before leaving (it helps me get her hair done).

Happy to be home.

A smile for the camera! Wow, that's rare!

Happy Birthday Papi!

2009-03-26T14:03:00.004-05:00

It was Emmanuel's birthday on Tuesday - 27 years old! We celebrated with a song and a good old-fashioned coconut cake.