Thoughts

As November ended, not too long ago, I remember thinking "thank goodness!" The month of November was crazy in our home. Not sure why really, but as the 30th came to an end I was so expectant of December 1st! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE December. I love the holidays, the family time, the traditions, the shopping, the celebrations, and ( 97% of the time) the stress associated with all of it! I always have, ever since I was little. Christmas has always been magical to me! With us being in our new home, our first house, I was even more excited, and expectant of the new traditions we would start and all the plans I had - in my head. Honestly, I looked forward to doing crafts, decorating, planning, shopping and so much more.
So December 1st came, and I started decorating, planning, and listening non-stop to Christmas music and introducing Bug to the beauty of the season. Then, I cleaned my kitchen! The goal was to clean it while putting away fall decor and then decorating it for Christmas.
While cleaning I found a water puddle under our kitchen table. That night, off course, I told Jared who discovered water damage all the way down to the subfloor. Long story short,  he found water damage ALL OVER OUR KITCHEN FLOOR. This started two weeks of no kitchen use, tears, frustration, decisions, and getting a new floor!
I wish I could write about how joyfully, peacefully and lovingly I accepted the news about the floor. However, I lack lots of grace in stressful situations. So now I  sit in my unorganized, half way decorated house and realize perhaps God was growing me.
Feeling so incredibly overwhelmed about the kitchen and the mess it has come with, we haven't gotten many of my original plans done. There have been no Christmas crafts, there have been no new traditions (getting a new kitchen floor during the holidays is something I do not wish to repeat ever!), there definitely hasn't been any cookie making/ decorating with Bug. Honestly, so far the season feels as far away from Christmas as it could be. It would not be truthful if I said I wasn't very disappointed. After all the plans and goals I had, there is very little to show for it.  Then I realized remembered that Christmas is not about me!

It's not about how clean and perfectly decorated my house is.
It's not about how many crafts and activities we do.
It's not about listening to carols every minute.
It's not about my plans or goals.
It's not about how many gifts I buy in a day.
It's not about all the decorations.
It's not about me.

Christmas is Christmas in spite of me, in spite of my plans, goals and traditions. Jesus came to this world to bring peace without my help and without my celebrations. Better, He doesn't care about that! So instead of focusing on the things we haven't accomplished, I will [try to] shift my/our focus on what He has done! I think the rest of the season will go a LOT smoother if I do this successfully!

Our new Little Addition!

Yesterday we found out that we will be having a healthy baby girl! We could not be more thrilled!

To make the reveal a bit more fun, and to include our Bug in on the fun of having a sibling,  we went to Party city and asked the lady at the balloon counter to please inflate ether pink or blue gallons (depending on what the paper inside the sealed envelope said) and to put them in a box. Then we wrapped the box so Bug would have fun opening it. 

Our sweet friend Sonya came over to take pictures as we opened the box and found out the gender of our second child.

We are sooo happy, and so thankful! God is truly good to us!

Second Birthday Party!

Saturday we celebrated Bug's birthday. Though we had originally planned on doing something "small" for this birthday, his new-found LOVE for everything ELMO inspired a themed celebration of sorts.
After months of planning and crafting, we finally had everything ready to go (i'll insert a HUGE thank- you to our sweet friend Karen for letting me borrow her awesome "Cricut", and another HUGE thanks to my husband for fighting with glue and helping me put Elmos of every size together! You both rock!)

I also thought that we should decorate Bug's door so when he woke up in the morning he would know it was a special day. Jared helped me put balloons in front of his door. The plan was for me to record his expression once i opened his door. Off course, our 2-year-old woke up with the ability to actually open the door- so i missed his first reaction, but got the subsequent minutes of different reactions to his balloon surprise! It was really cute!

I was taking pictures too, sorry about the flash! He got distracted after a little bit too!

We spent the rest of the morning getting ready for his party. Then, with the help of his grandparents, we went and set up the pavilion where we were having the celebration.  Friends and family came and played in the playground, colored Elmo sheets and ate yummy food and cake. Thank you Sweet P Cakes and Confections for once more providing a delicious Pumpkin Spice cake!

After a beautiful afternoon of fun we went home to rest! Bug was tired and took a nice nap, we were just glad to have some time to rest and hung out in the living room. Later we watched Bug open all his gifts. He got some great toys and clothes- Thanks everyone!

It was a perfect day to celebrate our little boy! We are so thankful the weather was nice and for all who were able to come and celebrate with us! Here's to the Wonderful, Terrific Twos!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Bug!

Two years ago today we were sitting in a hospital room waiting very patiently for a sweet little boy who was kicking my ribs with all his power to join us! I remember feeling torn ( a feeling i have learned to count on as a mom since that moment). I couldn't wait one more second to hold this child in my arms, and at the same time, i knew that he was safer, happy and DEFINITELY more comfortable inside me.

Two years ago, as we waited for our "surprise baby", I didn't know what life would be like. His presence had already changed so much in our lives. Jared and i had already become parents - it was a role we assumed hours after finding out we were expecting him. He had already made us so broken, we had ran to God for wisdom, comfort and knowledge. He had already made his dear mother feel joy and fear in a short 9 months.

I remember worrying about him so much that i couldn't sleep. I remember thinking i would miss the movements and kicks (and punches, elbows and knees) against my rib cage.  I KNEW i would miss his dancing around in my belly when I played music. I mostly remember how i couldn't stop wondering if i was going to be a good mom - and how i wanted so much more than just "good". I wanted (and want) so much more for him.

 I remember being HUNGRY!

As i sit here in our living room thinking about tomorrow: the celebration we have planned for his birthday and the incredibly long to-do list that awaits me the minute i get up; I can't help but remember everything about the last two years. They went by so fast!

We have seen those feet and hands move so much since the moment he was born that all the punches and kicks made sense. We have seen him dance to every song we play - i now know what he was doing in my belly when there was music. We have seen him grow and mature, way too fast, day-by-day. We have been impressed at how he picks up things we teach him... and things we don't.

He has continued to make us run to God for wisdom and guidance. He has made us laugh until our bellies hurt. He has made us cry (of joy and sadness). He has been such an incredible blessing to our lives. The past two years have been just that:  AN AMAZING BLESSING!

We are so thankful for the gift of our son! So sad so much time has already passed! So hopeful for the days to come that we get to share with him! We can't wait to see the man he will one day become, but we hope the days don't go by too fast.

Happy Birthday (a bit early) sweet, sweet Bug!

We love you with every fiber of our beings and are so blessed to have the honor, privilege and responsibility of being your parents!

Lessons

Today I decided that we would bake cookies! Bug L.O.V.E.S cookies!! I mean, he asks for cookies multiple times a day whether or not we have cookies in the house. He also seems to know where they are in the store and in the house (when we actually do have some). This week he figured out that Jared's cereal was in fact small chocolate-chip cookies ( i know, healthy!)

So as a treat for being good while I went to the doctor and ran errands, I purchased the ready-to-bake type cookie dough. Eventually I'll actually attempt baking them from scratch, but this time the already pre-measured squares seemed to be easier for Bug to "make".

We sat on the kitchen floor and I sprayed the baking sheet with cooking spray. Then, I handed Bug one square at a time, asked him not to put it in his mouth and then helped him put it on the baking sheet. After all the cookies were on the baking sheet, we put them in the oven and set the timer. This did not settle well with my son. The poor guy was ready for his cookies! The 10 minutes that we were supposed to wait turned into tears -apparently 15 cookies are a very serious matter! Plus more tears came when I kept answering his cry for cookies with a "not yet!"

Finally the timer went off and Bug came into the kitchen to see me take the cookies out!!!!

Unfortunately, we also had to wait for them to cool off. That was even harder for my little guy! He stood by me asking for his cookies, and waited very impatiently.

I took the baking time as the perfect opportunity to teach patience. Up until now, we have been teaching him to ask for what he wants using "por favor" and "gracias". He does very well with this lesson because once he uses his words, he is given what he asks for. Today though, he had to wait for something he asked for. He used his words, but I couldn't speed up the timer or cool the cookies any faster. He simply had to wait for his cookies.

A difficult lesson, but one that ended with yummy chocolate-chip goodness! Overall I think our baking/ lesson moment was a complete and DELICIOUS success!! :)

As little one starts learning more and more words i thought it would be a good idea to make videos of him saying them. It will be nice to see the progress he makes and how his pronunciation changes. Really wish i had done this before to compare!

Words he says (or tries to say) on the video
Hi
Gato (cat)
Vaca (cow)
Gracias (thank you)
Por favor (please)
Thank you
Daddy
Da-da
Ma-ma
Mami
Grandma-- still working on this!
Pa-pa
Abuela (grandmother- What he calls my mom) still working on this!!
Banana
Agua (water)
Leche (milk)
Perro (dog)
Dog
I love you [ he usually blows kisses instead of saying the words]
Cookie
Manzana (apple)
Bye
Baby
Up
Flor (flower)
Libro (book)
Mas (more)
Jirafa (giraffe)
Elefante (elephant)
Boca (mouth)
So silly

We started working on names at the beach 3 weeks ago... He's getting a little better with them!
Joseph
Jordan- still working on Jordan!!
Jaclyn- there are days when he says it very clear and others when he just doesn't!

Words he didn't say on the video or we are still working on
Javi - Uncle Javi!!
Nariz (nose)
Ojos (eyes)
Oso (bear) he says it when he wants to... usually all animals are dogs (he makes the dog sound!)
Go
Run
Bella
Playa (beach)
Monkey
Potty
We are working on numbers, he says "tres"(three).
We are working on colors- no luck there yet!

Hello from our new House!!!!

OHHH MY GOODNESS!!! It's been such a crazy, fun and wonderful month (and some days) since we last wrote! Since Mother's Day, I went to Utah for 3 days and Jared stayed home with Bug. It was the first time I was without our son. Preparing for my trip I prayed a lot about leaving him - I was really having a hard time. God answered my prayers and surrounded me with people to encourage me. Though it was hard to leave him,  I enjoyed 3 whole nights of full sleep - I now realize I miss sleep a LOT, and I know that little one can survive without me being with him constantly! The boys had a blast being boys of course, like going to the park and having Daddy/Son time!

At the beginning of June we attended my cousin's fabulous wedding and then went to the beach for a week! Bug had a blast playing with his grandparents, aunts and uncle, and I loved being able to get some sun! It was a very relaxing week! Bug wasn't too interested in the water, but he loved going for walks and playing in the sand! After a week of relaxation, we drove back home with keys in hand for our new house!

I love sunsets! Jared and I got to go on a walk one night.. so beautiful!

Taking a break from the sun!

The past 2 weeks we have been spent moving, unpacking, painting and organizing! It's been a much slower process than I planned on, but I can't wait until it is fixed up how we want it to be! Jared has been working so hard updating our kitchen. Bug is loving all the space and rooms to play in - he especially loves his closet! We love our neighborhood! 

He works so hard!!

When Jared and I first got married, we used to go on walks after dinner. We used to talk about when we owned a house and how it would be great if it was in a nice neighborhood where we could go for walks as a family. Well, we can now go for those walks - so exciting!

I will be posting pictures of the house as we fix it up and will definitely try to post updates more often!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

We love Abuelita!!

We love Grandma!!!

We are incredibly blessed to have such wonderful women as moms and as grandmas to our son! They are amazing, loving, and full of wisdom. Their stories, songs and games always make Bug (and us) smile! 

I couldn't ask for a greater gift than that of being this little one's mom! 

Routine

We have parts of our day which are officially routine. These are the things i now love about each day. One of my favorite times of the day is when Bug wakes up. I am not a morning person (never have been), but when he wakes up he calls out "ma-ma" and my heart melts! It's the greatest start to this mom's day! When Jared is home, he goes and gets the morning milk ready for little one, while i go get him and give him a hug and change his diaper. Then we all come back to our bed.

Between talks, and cuddles and games, Jared and i get to fully wake up and be ready for the day ahead. Off course little one is ready to go the minute i get him out of his crib, so there is always some kind of pillow stealing going on (he loves Daddy's neck pillow) or some tickling and giggling as he tries to make us get up. The stories are my favorite! Bug will tell us tales that we don't understand, but always makes sure he engages us with a question or two.

Just about every morning for months now, this has been our routine. It's about 30-40 minutes before our day truly starts, before breakfast, phones, and chores become part of our day. Every morning something different happens, Bug keeps impressing us each day. He always does something new, he'll attempt to say a new word, he'll decide to read us a book (like today). It's hard not to start the morning with a smile when we've had such a fun time.

One morning when he was not feeling well. He still looked cute!!

He fell asleep on me one morning!

Do you have any routines in your day you love? 

Adoption Tax Credit

There are 163,000,000 children that need loving homes right now! That's a HUGE number of precious lives waiting for their home, their family!
One of the biggest obstacles for families who would like to adopt is the financial expenses of the adoption process. Right now there is a tax credit to help those who have gone through the process of bringing a precious child home. However, the government is trying to get rid of this!


This is what another blogger wrote about it:
"In 2013 the tax credit will be a maximum  of $6,000 for parents adopting children with special needs. There  will be no adoption tax credit available for all other adoptive parents beginning in tax year 2013."
Could you please sign the petition and tell your friends/family about it?
You can sign the petition at
  http://www.change.org/petitions/make-adoption-costs-fully-refundable-in-the-2012-2013-tax-years


You can read a bit more about it at A Place Called Simplicity.


Thank you so much!!!

Updates

Well, it's official: WE'RE HOMEOWNERS!  It seemed like the process took forever, but really it was quick and relatively smooth, and for that we are very thankful!

We feel so blessed to have been able to take such a huge step. We still have to wait a couple of months before we can move in. For now we are living with wonderful friends who opened up their home to us. Of course, my mind is already running with decorating ideas, I'm so excited!
As we signed the mountain of paperwork on Thursday, I kept thinking of the apartments we went to go look at just months ago, hoping for something affordable where we could live semi-comfortably for the next year. I remember making a list of things we were looking for and then slowly, as we looked at more and more overpriced apartments, turning that same list into things we could compromise on or could live without. As we prayed for God to show us where to live, we didn't imagine that He had something much better in store for us. He had a  house, our own house! How great is He?

 In other news, our beautiful little boy is 18 months old! Time has flown!!!!!! Parents used to tell us this all the time when we were expecting him, but man is it true! We celebrated by going for a long walk as a family - yesterday was the perfect spring day for long walks. It was warm with just enough of a breeze to cool us off! We ate at a local Mexican place nearby and enjoyed a relaxing day!

Bug continues to grow and develop. He is a very independent and curious toddler. We are also attempting to potty-train... key word ATTEMPTING. Bug has been such a good sport with the whole thing. He is slowly understanding what he's supposed to do, though he has more accidents than I would like.

He's also started talking A LOT MORE!! He talks all the time, in his baby language with some actual words thrown in the mix of his very long sentences! He loves to sing and dance. He also loves to play peek-a- boo. We seriously play at least 5 times a day, EVERY day!

Isn't he just so charming?!

Looking Beyond Myself

Today has been one of those days where all around me there seems to be a lesson or encouragement. This morning I got a text challenging me to do things anonymously for others. Something I know I should do but rarely find the opportunity to.
Bug and I ran errands this afternoon. At the doctor's office I was helped by a wonderful staff who all noticed my little boy and talked to him (and helped me pick up all the toys he had so much fun throwing on the floor).
Later, we went to the store to get some groceries. Preoccupied with my list, the time, and my little boy who wanted to come home and rest, I did not notice the lady in line before me. She was returning part of her groceries because she didn't have the money to purchase them all (milk and apples were some of the items she returned). The man standing between the lady and me was generous and paid for the items so the lady could take them with her. That's when I noticed her. She looked young, embarrassed and a bit shocked by the man's generosity.
This was the point where I stopped and realized the whole day I had been focused on my lists, my plans for the day, and everything that had to get done. I rushed around getting errands done but didn't stop to notice the people I could have interacted with. So i have to wonder how many people could have used some help today or needed a kind word said to them? I saw at least 50 people and remember making eye contact with less than 10. In a city where everyone is busy and rushing, I really have to make an effort and start focusing on those around me. As my best friend always reminds me " you may be the only 'Jesus' they see today"!

What a Year!!!!

2012 has brought so many things into our lives already, it is hard to believe that it's only March! So many unexpected decisions were made at the beginning of this year. Though our plan was to rent at least one more year, God seemed to have another plan for us. We walked into our realtor's office in search of rental homes within a certain price range and with a list of "wants". After reviewing our list and asking questions, we saw that our options in rentals were extremely limited in the area. Then he asked us why we didn't consider buying, and told us about the benefits as well as how "now was the time to buy".

We were very hesitant at first, but decided we would think about it. We continued to look for rental homes, but as we thought and prayed about it, it became more clear that we should go ahead and start looking into buying a home. Our first home! We prayed about it some more, and then, we did it - we started the process to buy our first home! 

This all happened around mid-January. Since then, we have looked at over 30 houses, talked to 4 different banks to compare rates, signed what seems like a million papers, dreamed, prayed, worried, talked, and just stared into space because we can't believe we are actually buying a house. We feel like such adults! (because obviously getting married and having a child wasn't "adult" enough!) And here we are, packing up our belongings, waiting for all the closing events to happen, and deciding where we'll stay between the time we have to move out of the apartment we are currently living in and when we can move into our home... OUR home! WOW!!!

Today we finally decided that we had to do some serious packing, and i think we did a great job!

Bug has helped us some with some light packing too. He is really such a great helper, and a fun one too! He has helped me put books in boxes, and likes to help me tape the boxes (and then try to take the tape off!)

Isn't' he the cutest little helper EVER?

We would really appreciate prayers for all the closing procedures to go super smoothly! I will post an update as soon as we hear more.

Hugs!

We need your votes

Friends, Please go to the following link and vote for our little boy! You can vote 5 times a day. This contest won't end until May so please vote every day!!
http://www.wizehive.com/voting/view/too-cute/0/494219/0

We really, really appreciate it!

THANK YOU!!!

Wordle

Thanks to Jordan for this fun idea! Here is our "wordle":

Isn't this so fun? I'm totally in love with the fact that the big words include our son, "together","thankful", and "peace". 

If you would like to create your own Wordle go to http://www.wordle.net/

Say "yes"

Growing up too fast!

What happened to my little baby?
Bug can officially walk on his own. He still stumbles some, but has now decided he only wants to walk. He can say "por favor ("fava")" and "gracias ("acia")", "pa-pa", "ma-ma", "dada", "oh-oh" ( for Oso = Bear), "me", "agua","ba-ba" (banana), plus all the other words he says and we just don't understand.
He dances and sings when music is playing.
He blows kisses when you say "bye"
He plays his piano like a pro, and has figured out how to sit on the stool.
He reads his "children's Bible" multiple times a day (and knows who Jesus is in the pictures)
He drinks out of straw cups
He brushes his teeth
He helps Mama with laundry

I cannot believe that he is almost 16 months, that he is so independent already and that he will never be the little newborn i once held!  I am so thankful for my little boy, the hugs and slobbery kisses and the laughter he brings every day.

It's not "Good-bye", It's "See you later!"

Last night our sweet grandma (Abuela) was called home! Though we knew it was coming and we are thankful she's in a better place, it hurts that she's not with us anymore. Knowing she's at peace with our Lord is a great relief; we prayed for peace and rest for her tired body. We sure do miss her and it's only been a day. Though knowing the truth of where she is doesn't stop the current pain we are all feeling here, I cannot help but be EXTREMELY THANKFUL for the time we had with her. We are also thankful that our little Bug got to know her his first year of life! He continues to be a very blessed little boy!

The first time Bug met Abuela, he held her hand (3 days old!)

We miss you so much Abuela! See you in heaven! We love you!

Play-DATE

My little Bug and his good friend Gabby had a super fun date today. We went to Starbucks, the kids shared banana bread, and then we had lunch and play time at Gabby's house! SO MUCH FUN! Gabby's mom and I had a blast watching them play and share! They are so cute!!

Getting comfortable on the chair to read while we wait!

Reading together. Aren't they so cute? 

Sharing banana bread- Bug feeding her!

Looking forward to the next time we can all get together!!