Proud of Nathan

We received a letter in the mail in early March about Nathan, telling us he made the honor roll. Definitely proud of him. Nathan is so easy going that sometimes it seems to me that everything comes easy and with no struggle or stress. He doesn't complain much about school either so I pretty much leave him alone. But now, receiving this letter made me realize how responsible he really is and smart ... not to mention that physically he's putting himself in strenuous activities to become better and stronger in football for this coming school year. He's in weightlifting and is also in track. Poor guy gets home super tired but can't rest much since school work has to get done. Once the weekend is here all he wants to do is veg out and takes advantage of those two days off to do nothing. Well, I don't blame him. As long as he's getting his butt worked out at school I don't mind if he doesn't hang out with us over the weekend while we go explore the city.

And he is definitely finally getting taller. Although he says he's not he totally is. I can tell by how his jeans fit and he just needs half a head to be as tall as me. Sydna still gives him a hard time telling him he's short and he's quick with comebacks which can be mean at times. I quickly jump in and stop them from talking nonsense in front of the little guy. They're mostly nice to each other and they do get along. That's a true blessing.

To reward him for this great achievement he spent a day out with his father. They went to the movies and ate out. I'm sure they both enjoyed their time together.

Sydna Graduates!

June 13th, 2015

Sydna's high school graduation.

I couldn't believe Sydna's high school graduation had finally arrived. It truly came by so fast. I still remember when she entered middle school and thinking, she still has five years until she graduates and turns 18. Well, that time has arrived. I don't feel old. I feel accomplished along with her. However, I feel that the most challenging time for me is right now. Continuing to stay consistent in raising her because even though she's eighteen she still needs guidance and correction at times, but given that she's now 18, things are definitely more challenging. Beginning to loosen the reins is definitely distressing. I am counting on God to help me not become overwhelmed with worry whenever she wants to venture out on her own. 

All seniors were to be dropped off at the high school at 9:00 am. From there they all boarded buses and were taken to another high school that has a big football stadium. We arrived at the graduation site at 9:45 am. It was a very sunny morning, not a single cloud in the sky. We sat way up in the stands because that part was shaded. It got full to capacity, the overflow had to sit on the visitors side.

We got her peonies, her favorite flower. 

My mom and sister are SO proud of her. They are both so close to my kids and they both feel like my kids are theirs. Such great comfort to know that I can count on family.

The proud parents.
Thank goodness there was shade because I wore all black.

The buses arrived close to 11:00 am. Everyone began to cheer. I got goosebumps and at one point I began to tear up. I had to hold it together because I didn't want to look like a hot mess, literally. We still had pictures to take.

All seniors got paired up with someone. Good thing Sydna told me which side of the field she was gonna sit at so we knew where to look.

It didn't take her long to find us on the stands. This is when I became teary eyed again. She looks so nice wearing that gown even though she didn't think so.

Our daughter!

The tossing of the caps.
I lost Sydna among all the rest but she told us that when she threw up her cap it went sideways and landed behind her. LOL. My sister Claudia took video of this and Sydna was able to find herself on it and we could clearly see when she tossed her cap and landed behind her all quick. We couldn't stop laughing.

It took us about fifteen minutes to finally meet up. Tons of people. When we did it was nothing but joyful celebration.

With Ama {that's what she calls my mom instead of grandma. Ama is another word for mom}

With my sister Claudia or Tia Claudia to them.

And with her siblings. Riley was being silly and didn't want to look at the camera.

After the ceremony, we went home to change and to freshen up. Once we got comfortable we went to Red Robin for lunch.
Here she is. Our graduate! My parents gave her a beautiful pair of diamond earrings. My sister gave her a very pretty necklace. And we plan on getting her a car ... that is whenever she gets her drivers license. I think she still needs more practice behind the wheel.

And upon her request we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island for some ice cream.
Being out here felt so good, so fresh. I didn't want to go back in but Riley began saying that he was cold, yeah right. What a raincloud! Noticed lots of small jelly fish in the Puget.

This place has so many flavors to choose from that it makes one become dumbfounded. It took me a while to finally decide on chocolate and pistachio. Ohmygosh! both flavors were so good! The chocolate flavor was SO darn good and I loved the pistachio. I think I will be getting these two from now on whenever we're here. I forget what everyone else got, lol. I was too busy enjoying my ice cream and waffle cone that I had been craving for several weeks.

We had to wait 45 minutes to take the ferry back to Seattle. My sister did a good job keeping Riley entertained. I definitely got a mental break from Riley the few days my mom and sister were here because all he wanted to do was to hang out with them and I was totally fine by that.

My sister is so thoughtful. Even though we spent the entire day celebrating Sydna and even though we went to a creamery of her choice, she still wanted to get a cake for both Sydna and herself since June 13th was also her birthday. I hope you had a nice birthday Claudia!

This day was a great day celebrating Sydna's 2nd major milestone {1st being her First Communion} in her life along with both my mom and sister. And thank you to those that congratulated Sydna. That means a lot to us. Thank you!

Sydna

You've reached the end only to find a new start.

Who knows what other surprises God has over the horizon. I do not know what lies ahead, but for today I pause and praise Him ... and thank Him for the memories. 

Nathan ... & Halloween 2012

11.3.12

This tree with long skinny thorns will soon be replaced by an abundance of pine trees. One of the things I'm looking forward is being able to experience the piney scent as soon as I step outside on a daily basis. That's new to me. The only time I get to smell pine is when we make the drive to Mt. Lemmon which has been about twice a year. Now it'll be a part of my everyday life! How awesome is that?! Also ... the one thing I'm looking forward the most is waking up to a gray sky. To not having the sun blarring through the blinds is going to be such a relief. To being able to go for walks in our new neighborhood without thinking about how much I hate being hot ... and looking forward to going back home and brewing myself a cup of coffee or hot cocoa and getting cozy on the couch with my little guy.

Nathan was set to receive an award on Tuesday for the end of the 1st quarter. I'm glad it was held at 9:35am and not at 8:00am how they have been having these award assemblies because I take Sydna to school just before 8:00 and have missed them.

As soon as Riley saw big brother he got happy. Nathan kept waving at him and made faces and that made Riley laugh. The place was semi quiet so it was a little embarrassing having my child laugh and people looking over and smiling. Good thing it didn't last long.

I was hoping Riley would behave. He did great for the first ten minutes then he began to whine some so I kept him quiet by feeding him fishies. It worked but then he drank some water and he dropped his cup and it made a loud noise. Again embarrassing!

Nathan not only received one award but three. Even he wasn't expecting to be receiving three. They were: P.E. Star Athlete; Perfect Attendance; and Citizenship Award. Way to go!!

Sydna also received an award. She got another Honor Roll certificate.

Kids: I hope you always strive to work hard and be the best you can be in everything. You have a lot of potential, the smarts to do and be anything you want to be. Continue on this path and you will see that hard work is indeed worth it in the end. Stay determined and focused and you will be blessed beyond your expectations. Always keep God close and listen to Him.
We love you and you guys make us so proud. Not only do you make us proud but you also have your two sets of grandparents and Tia Claudia that are just as proud and love you so much. I know grandma wishes she could communicate with the two of you more so you guys should start practicing your spanish more so you can call her more often. She would love that.


Jacob made pumpkin cupcakes the day before Halloween. Since he was gonna be busy on Halloween grilling burgers and hotdogs I didn't want him to feel overwhelmed and not enjoy himself. Loved the way the house smelled.

During the day on Halloween and before his nap we read Halloween books, saw a Halloween Little Einsteins episode, and we build towers. The day started out cool but it did go up to the mid 80's by noon. Awful.

After he went down for his nap I had on scary Halloween movies. IT was showing on tv ... and you know I've never seen this movie from beginning to end. I always start watching it right in the middle. I texted my daughter this picture of IT because I just knew she would just love to see him as she happens to love clowns, not! She hates them. All in good fun though.

 

 

 

After we ate and waited for a bit for the sun to go down I dressed Riley up in his pirate costume.

 Eww, look at my hand. It looks like my fingers are chopped off at the knuckles. They were wrapped around his calf that's why. Still looks freakish though.

 

 

At first he wanted to take off the hat but then I had him look in the mirror and I told him he looked nice and cute and he left it on.

 

 

Our pumpkins. 

 

 

And here's the youngest buccaneer of them all. Aaarrrggghhh!!

No booty for this bucko as momma has yet to give him any candy. He had fun just running around at night while kids came by {some} wearing cute costumes.

Surprisingly though, we didn't see many kids out trick or treating. I think our current neighborhood is full of empty nesters or people that simply don't want to partake in this yearly tradition. That's sad.

 

 

At any rate we had fun. Sydna had a friend over and along with Nathan they were being silly outside and passing out candy to the few kids that were out. Jacobs parents came by and spent the evening with us.

Riley looking at the girl apparition behind us.

 

 

Hope you all had a great Halloween.

 

 

Little Happenings ... An Eventful Week

week of
9.17.12

My close friends daughter's birthday was on September 4.
A niece's birthday was on September 16 ... and
My mom's birthday was on September 17.

I mailed all three presents late. Reason? I forgot. I cannot believe it. So not like me to be forgetful when it comes to birthdays. I must have been too occupied planning Nathan's birthday celebrations. All I can say is "sorry loved ones".

 

 

I made spinach and artichoke dip for my mom and sister the last day they were here and lucky me, there was some leftover. Yum. They like it as much as I do. I cannot just eat a small amount. It's too good for it to be just a snack indulgence. I like making the hot version. I've tried the cold version and honestly it wasn't nearly as delectable. I love eating the dip with baguet rounds but it does fill you up a lot faster so I sometimes opt for tortilla chips. I'm craving this dip just by looking at it.

 

Sydna looking at a picture book with Riley. She would ask him where something was and he would point and say "right there". I know I've mentioned this before but each time we sit with him and look through books he gets better and better at naming things. They learn so fast. Such a smart little guy!

I really hate the beeping of a fire alarm's battery that's about to die. Such an irritating beep. This time it came from Sydna's room. The ceiling is slanted and it's placed on the tallest part. Sydna had recently rearranged her bedroom and now her bed was in the way of putting the ladder directly underneath it so Jacob had to get our step ladder and place it on her bed. Totally dangerous. I don't know how it all went down because I was busy with Riley in the living room but I took this picture after he replaced the battery.

Our nights usually end with a cozy Christmas movie while Riley drinks his milk bottle. I love it! The only thing that's missing is the cold weather to truly top off our nights. Must.Be.Patient.   ... they'll be here before I know it.

Morning person. Momma, not so much ... but seeing his sweet smile sure gives me the energy to get out of bed and get my our day started.

September 19, Wednesday was Talk Like A Pirate Day. Even the Little Einsteins were in the spirit. So cute!

Riley loves looking at himself on Nathan's iPad when it's on picture mode. He'll get close then he'll sit back. He will do this several times. He also makes faces and laughs.

Jacob and the kids were craving raspados. I don't typically crave things like that. I prefer a pastry and coffee. My sister had promised them some but we didn't have the time to go to the mall to get some whle they were here so she left them money. Thanks Tia Claudia.

After we left the mall we went to Party City. I'm the type of person that likes to shop for seasonal things as soon as they hit the stores. Paying full price doesn't stop me. I would rather have a good selection to choose from than waiting until the last minute and have a horrible selection left. I've done the waiting 'til the last minute thing and I hate it. Anyway, Riley's set for Halloween. He's going to look SO cute. You guys are just gonna have to wait until then to see him.

He looked cute in this cowboy sheriffs hat too. He walked around the store with it on. Funny guy.

 

 

You know how there are infants that look older than what they really are? Well I think Riley still looks much like a baby. I've seen other boys his age and to me some look older. Maybe it's the way they are dressed who knows but my little guy still looks and acts very much like a baby. I'm not complaining, I love it! Because as we all know children grow way too fast. So when Riley lays like this with his little hiney in the air it makes me smile and I think it's a cute looking one too.

 

Thursday was THE only day of the week that was cloudy.
I sure love waking up to a natural darkened room. I was showered and ready before dropping Sydna off at school. Took her to school, came back home to have some breakfast then left to Michaels to buy more Halloween stuff. Light Happy Heart.

My brother gave this little rocking chair to Sydna for her 1st Christmas. It's 15 years old. Once she's married and has kids of her own I will hand it down to her. I know it'll be a lot more special to her when her kids use it. Sweet sweet memories yet to be cherished.

 

 

Definitely captured a sweet moment here. Very touching!

 

In honor of my favorite season I went out and bought several little pumpkins to place on my console and dining table. I don't really decorate for Fall until November 1st, once I put away all of my Halloween decorations but I at least had to have a few pumpkins in my home come the first day of Fall to welcome this most gorgeous season with open arms. I buy a lot more when we go to the pumpkin patch. I totally want to move where one gets to experience the four seasons but without the scorching/humid summers. I wouldn't mind moving to Maine. It is so pretty there.

 

 

During our parent teacher conference that we had with Nathan's teacher on Tuesday we were told that Nathan would be receiving an award on Friday and would be honored as a Student of Character for exemplifying the qualities of Respect. Of his entire class he was the one that was chosen. That really warmed my heart and made me even prouder of my son for showing such a great quality in a person of his age. Principal shaking Nathan's hand and handing him his certificate.

 

You are awesome Nathan!

 

 

Nathan will be playing flag football through the Y again. Friday was their first day of practice. They will practice at an elementary school about fifteen minutes from where we live. I love where this school is located because you can clearly see the Catalina Mountains. There's a park next to the school. I will totally be taking Riley to that park in the Winter once there's snow on the mountains. Will make for some pretty pictures. Excited!

 

 

Sydna watching Nathan warm up.

 

 

By the time 5:00 pm came around the temperature was in the mid 90's. It got to 102 degrees around 1:00pm. I thought we were out of the triple digit weather. All I know is that it'll only get better from here on out ... weather wise. The heat is just being stupid stubborn here in Southern Arizona.

It felt so good not having to worry about Riley getting in peoples way or worrying about cars. He got to run around to his heart content. He gets red in the face so fast. Seeing him like this stresses me out so I'm constantly telling him to drink water. Before I leave the house {of course only during the hot Summer months} I always fill his drinking cup with ice water. No joking around in this dry heat. You'll collapse from dehydration since you don't feel you're sweating but you're totally drying out from the inside.

Came across two new yummy recipes that I hope Jacob gets the urge to try soon. I would love to have the banana oatmeal pancakes first. But he will have to make them for dinner one day because I can't have a sweet breakfast ... my stomach ends up hurting. Don't know why. I've been this way for as long as I can remember. Growing up Mexican I don't EVER remember eating anything sweet for breakfast.

Last week was sure one of the most eventful weeks I've had in a while. Guess it'll continue from here on out. Sydna also got  her hair trimmed and layered. She still wanted to keep her hair long but she had lots of split ends so the lady cut off about two inches. She was stressing out, lol.

 

Riley doesn't really do well when we have to get in and out of the truck too many times. I don't blame him. It's tiresome. He likes being home and playing with his toys and watching Little Einsteins or Christmas movies. Although, once it's no longer hot we will be resuming our walks and visiting parks.