Life Lately: Spring Break

Well, hello there!! I know it's been awhile since I've posted on the poor blog. I really need to get the hang of this.
Life is so busy and I always feel like I need to catch up! The days are just flying by and I can't catch my breath. As I'm sure that many of you can relate. Anyways, I thought I'd share a little bit of what has been going on over here.

Des had spring break a few weeks ago but the boys will start there break today. I really wished they had it at the same time then we could plan our days better. So we've tried to do some fun things after school since we can't go anywhere really far.

After school on Wednesday, we took the kids to Disneyland. It was nice to just relax and hang out with the kids.  Love Disneyland!

I saw them holding hands and I turned quickly to snap this picture before they let go but I cut off there hands......oops.  Never too old to ride the carousel!!

My sister and I took Michael to the mountains for the Junior high Winter Retreat with the church. Des went last month but this was a first for Michael. This was the longest time he's been away from home. So I was a little nervous, but he did just fine.

It was so beautiful seeing the white snow, it was like a thick white blanket.
We took some pictures ( I love this picture!!! ) and prayed for his weekend to be blessed and that we got home safely.
Driving in the snow made me a little nervous.

After church on Sunday we drove up to pick him up from camp. Since we were going up we decide to make a day out of it.

We grabbed some lunch and went on a hunt to find a nice area to play in the snow.

 Des went to take her permit driving test. And she passed!! I have mixed feelings about this. I'm happy but oh SO nervous for her to be driving. Did you notice I said I was nervous three times already....make it four. 

We went to the movies and saw OZ, it was really good!  A lot better than I thought it would be.

We had family movie night and watched Wreck it Ralph. I really like this movie and so did Daniel!!
He is just relaxin while eating his ice cream cone.



We went to a birthday party and the kids got to ride horses. Gabriel rode on a horse for the first time.

I tried to get Daniel on it, at least for a picture but he just kept shaking his head no!  Des took him to pet some animals instead. He seemed to be happier there.

My sweet gentle James liked petting the animals too!

 Enjoying these everyday moments with the kids.
(Did you notice Daniel got a haircut?) :)

I hope you are enjoying your spring break!

Daniel is 18 months!

My little sweet Daniel turned 18 months in January,
I can't believe how fast time has flown by.
I know it's late for this post but
I really wanted to document his milestone.
Some mom's can't wait for their baby/toddler to reach their next milestone
but for me it is kinda of bittersweet.
Maybe because I know we are ending this stage and
I possibly won't be in this stage of parenting again.
I want to SAVOR the moments I have with him in this stage.
I know that in a blink of an eye he will be such a big boy.

So I wanted to share what you have been up to lately. You are a very curious little guy, always thinking and exploring. You don't say many words, actually about 4 that we could understand. Dada, hola, bye and Gaaa, which we think Gaaa is for Gabriel or Grandma. 

You love to eat, you will run and sit on Dad's lap at the table even if you have already eaten. 

You like to sit with him and eat again. You don't like to sit in your high chair anymore, I think it is because you a want to eat on the go. 

Some of your favorite foods right now are: spaghetti, yogurt, pizza, eggs, rice, beans, green beans apples, bananas & toast. 

You love your sister and brothers. You try to copy what they are doing. I'd have to say Gabriel is your best friend and I hope you two will always be very close. It melts my heart when I watch you two play together. He is very protective over you. 

 You can be so sweet and gentle at times, but can definitely let us know when you want to be heard.

The temper tantrums have begun. I'm not sure if it's more because you are frustrated and don't know how to talk to us to get our attention or perhaps it is just the age.......maybe both.

We still haven't gotten you a professional haircut yet. We tried but you screamed before we were even tried to start. Grandma has trimmed a little bit of your hair but that is about it.

You know some of your body parts such as nose, eyes, ears, head, hands, hair, feet, mouth, teeth and tummy. When we ask you where is _______? You will point.

You love to go outside and play. You love to explore, run and climb.
You love your Dad a lot, there are many times that you will chose him over me.

You love to snuggle and give hugs. Your hugs are so sweet and I love when I see you run up to give your sister or brothers a hug. It truly melts my heart. I hope that you will continue to snuggle because 

they are truly the best. 

 Each day you are changing and learning something new. I'm so happy to see all your new discoveries with you. I love how you run to look for me when your frightened. I am honored to be the one to protect you and make you feel safe. I love your smile and hearing you laugh. Your eyes light up when you've seen something for the first time or made a new sound. It is just so precious to see your excitement in your face.  I am blessed by God that He chose me to be your mama.
I love you so much, Daniel!

Love, Mama

Wordless Wednesday: So sweet

I walked into the room and saw them fast asleep. Cuddling together. I hope they will always want to be best buddies.

They just melt my heart.!!

I love my little guys.

Happy Valentines Day!!

Happy Valentines Day from my family to yours!

A Sunday Afternoon

A few weeks ago Desi came and 

asked if she could do my hair & make-up. 

Actually, she always asks 

and we are always busy running out the door 

so we've never made the time to do it.

The little boys were taking a nap, 

the older boys were watching a movie

it was the perfect time. 

The pictures are not great but that's not important.

They are taken with my phone, 

the lighting is bad 

but 

I wanted to capture the moment.

It wasn't the hair style or

the make-up that was important

but the quality time 

I was spending with her...

....just me and her

with no interruptions.

When she was fixing my hair, 

I was reminded of all the years

I had done her hair when she was a little girl. 

Now, she was old enough to do mine.

We talked about make-up, hair styles, 

friends and just life.

I listened to her talk about what her dreams and goals are. 

It was nice....really nice.
I will remember this Sunday afternoon forever. 

We didn't go anywhere except the bathroom 

and it was so much fun,

just to hang out with my best friend. 

Desi is growing up to be such a Godly, wise young girl, 

she inspires and amazes me.

I know that my days are short with Desi being a teenager, 

she will be an adult soon.   

Before you know it she'll have her own life.

I plan to enjoy these teenage years with her. 

I am so proud of who she is and of who she wants to become.

A blessed Sunday afternoon that will always be cherished. 


P.S. She did a great job with my hair & make-up :)

Intentional

I don't like change, but I know change is inevitable. It is going to happen whether we like it or not and sometimes there is nothing that can stop it. This past year has flew by, it seems like the years all go by so quickly. I started thinking how I don't want to waste the time that God has given me.

I came across this quote from Kelli's blog, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." C.S. Lewis, that she made into a desktop background, that you could download from her blog.
I love it especially since I'm a fan of C.S. Lewis, my hubby has read all the Narnia books to us during our reading nights! Head over to Kelli's blog to download the January desktop. It is a great reminder that it's never too late to dream.

I've been thinking of this new year and what I want to change......yes, I said it change. Many people have resolutions, goals or a word for the year. I want to be more intentional, life is too short and I want to focus on the things that are important in life. I want to enjoy the moments I have with my kids and be a part of things that will matter. I will try to be intentional with my time.

I have a lot of things I need to work on but I think if I spread them out I won't feel so overwhelmed. Plus I will keep reminding myself to focus on the important things that matter and let the little things go.

I have goals, dreams of what I'd like to do this new year and now I need to put them into action.

                                         What are your goals, dreams for the new year?

The Little Things

We started off the weekend with my cousins party at a jumping jacks, which is a pretty neat place. They have these rooms where they have 4-5 Huge jumpers and slides. You go into a room and the kids jump and jump for a limited time. Then they take you to another room where they have different jumpers and slides. Once the time is up, they take you to the eating area. The kids had a lot if fun. This was our first time there but I'm sure it won't be our last.

• The boys love being with their daddy. ( Look at those happy little faces...who can resist. ) They both wanted him to carry them to their sunday school class.  
• Gabriel loves to pick up the boys from the school. He ran and gave Jimmy a huge hug. 
• Daniel and Gabe on the merry-go-round at the mall.  
• Gabriel doing his preschool homework....which has been a challenge to get him to do. More on that later.
• I love this picture of Daniel and Gabe. Daniel gave him a big hug right before he went to his Tae Kwan Do test.

That was it a glimpse of our week via iPhone.

How was your week?

Linking up with Lindsay.

December Highlights

December flew by and now we are in January. Here are a few highlights of our December, I know pictures of December in January...... I'm kind of behind. It is really for me, having this blog is a way for me to document our memories and keep in contact with our family.

WARNING!!! Keep in mind this is going to be filled with a lot of pictures.

I have my new planner! Love this. I need a planner and I am so pleased with this one. It holds so much information but at the same time it is small enough to fit in my purse. Need to be organized this year. 

Love, Love  it!!

We take the kids every Christmas break to Knotts Berry Farm. My hubby gets a discount every year around this time. Which is perfect since the kids are on vacation. So it has become a family tradition. 

However, it is extremely busy this time of year at the theme park, so we try to let the kids pick the rides they really want to go on. We do see Snoopy on Ice every time and it is always so beautiful. 

Then of course we have to go to Disneyland, it is so beautifully decorated for Christmas and we even saw Santa Claus there.

Daniel couldn't take his eyes off of Santa, I thought for sure he'd cry. But he he sat there and just starred at the big jolly man in red.

The photographers asked my hubby and I to join in the picture. Which is kind of neat since we've  never taken a picture as a family with Santa.

And of course a few trips to Disneyland during the kids Christmas break. 

We celebrated Christmas Eve with my hubby's family this year in Las Vegas. It was a short but sweet visit as we had to drive back home to California to have Christmas dinner with my side of the family. 

Had lots of fun visiting with the cousins.

My sweetest sister-in-law had crafts for the kids to do. We made these cute carolers and hand stamped ornaments. I forgot to take picture of the ornaments but I will just tell you that it was a challenge to get Daniel to do his. But they still turned out cute.

Then we opened presents with our cousins. 

We woke up early Christmas morning and headed back to California. 

Came home and saw all the wonderful presents Santa left for us while we were away. 

The kids exchanged their Secret Santa presents that they gave to each other. Every year we put the kids names in a hat and they pick out a name and buy a present for that person with their own money. On Christmas they stand up and say something nice about the person they got.

Later we went to have dinner with my side of the family and had lots of yummy treats with homemade Hot Chocolate.

My Mom always makes such a wonderful dinner.

We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, but Gabriel thought we were singing to Michael since he was standing in the front of the cupcakes.

We played lots and lots and lots of board games durning the kids vacation.

This year I think our favorite was Clue. 

And of course had to squeeze in some more Disneyland fun. Oh how we love Disneyland. 

And through the whole month of December most of us were sick with a cold. Some of the kids got it twice, I got it several times.......lets just say, I was sick the whole month. But there was only one person who some how did not get sick.......and the winner was Dad. I don't know how that man didn't get even a cold. So there you have it some highlights of our last month in 2012!

I think it was a great December. 

Whew.....I think I'm caught up now :)