Wow!!!  I really haven't updated this since Feb.  I guess that means no one has been reading this.  Oh well!!  I will still update.

SO much has happened in the last 6 months.  I turned another year older, celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary, the kids got out of school, we went to Puerto Rico for a month, Dallas for a week and the kids went back to school.  That is about it.  We are just a normal everyday family if that includes sibling fights, kids misbehaving and lots of mommy yelling at the kids to behave.

On Wednesday Vivian will start a 1 day a week Mom's Day Out program.  What am I going to do with 6 hours without kids?  Well for this week Pablo and I are going to go out to lunch and enjoy a meal.  It has been a really long time since just the two of us did anything by ourselves.  After lunch I am going to a movie by myself sicne I want to see a chick flick and of course Pablo does not.  I guess I better look at the showtimes and plan the day so I can be back in time to pick up Vivian and be home in time for the bus.  HMMM not sure how that is going to work.  Vivian at 3 and kids home at 3????  It will take me 5 minutes to get home from the church Vivian willbe at.  I guess that means I need to get some keys made for the kids in case I am not home when they get there. 

September is birthday month in our house.  Pablo is Sept 19 and Vivian is Sept 29.  This year Pablo will be 35 and Vivian will be 2.  No big plans yet.  I guess I better get planning.

I can't believe she is already 2.  Where have the last 2 years gone?  She is getting so independant and her vocabulary has went from a few words in June to 3-4 word sentences in 2 months.  It is crazy how fast they grow and how fast that learn.  Another reason to get her in a program.  I need to get her around other kids her age so she can learn to 1. play with them 2. share and 3. be away from mommy.  I don't want to be one of the moms that drop their kid off for the first day of Pre-K or Kindergarten only to have the kid kicking and screaming for mommy not to leave because they have never been apart. 

Now you are probably wondering about Kirsten and Anthony.  Well Kirsten is in 6th grade and will be starting Basketball for the school soon.  She will also be playing recreational basketball, but this is the last year she can play for the rec department.  She wanted to play volleyball, but she said they may not be able to because they can't find a coach.  Apparently this would be the 1st year for volleyball or the coach from last year isn't there anymore.  I am not sure I haven't talked to the principal yet.  That is on my list of things to do.  Anthony is in 4th grade and not much going on with him.  I am going to try and get him to play recreational basketball this year, but I don't think I will have much luck with that.  He is just not very athletic.  He gets that from my side of the family.  He will play baseball in the spring.  He likes that and is a great catcher.  Both kids aree doing good academically although I know they both can do better.  They are still trying to get their brains in school mode and out of summer mode.  I am sure int he next coupleof weeks we will see a big improvement.  They are already half-way through the first 9 weeks.  As soon as they see their progress reports they will see what subjects need improvement.

So the kids are in bed and I am sitting here writing about them.  The life of a mom.....always thinking, talking about her kids and doing everything for them but nothing for herself.  Yes that is me I always put my kids first.

Yesterday I was reading a magazine and there was this delicious looking picture of cupcakes.  They were coconut cupcakes with coconut-white choclate frosting.  So what have I spent my morning doing.  Making these of course and they are soooo good.  The kids are going to be in heaven when they get home from school and find this surprise.  In case you want to make them too here is the recipe.... http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Coconut-Cupcakes-with-Coconut-White-Chocolate-Frosting-Recipe

We have 1 week before we begin Kirsten's orthodontic treatment.  Next Thursday she will get the spacers and then the week after that she will get the braces.  Her dentist said she will need them for 2-2.5 years.  Luckily the kids dentist is also and orthodontist. 

More later.....Vivian is napping and I need to get some things done around the house while she sleeps.

Diaper Case

I decided I wanted a case for diaper and wipes that I can just throw in my pruse when I need to run to the store instead of taking the whoel diaper bag.  I looked at the stores and they are around $20.  I thought I can make this for cheaper than $20.  So I began a google search for a pattern.  I found one at http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/dipecase.html  The instructions looked simple and the materials I needed were listed.  I just needed to get the supplies and dust off my sewing machine.  I spent $8 in supplies and made 2 cases.

First let me start by saying my sewing machine was very very dusty.  It has been sitting in the garage since I had to sew costumes for the kids school event.  That was over 2 years ago. 

I bought some thicker thread but the sewing machine would not work with it.  I got out the manual adjusted the settings change the needle, but nothing I did would work.  The thread kept getting tangled and stuck in the bobbin area.  I finally gave up after fighting with it for 20 minutes.  I went back to the regular thread. I completed both cases in 30 minutes.

Here is my completed project. 

This has sparked my creativity and I am thinking of trrying some other things.  Maybe I will even get out my scrapbook stuff and finally get Vivian's 1st year book done.  I have all the pics and stuff, but i just haven't found the creative bug to do it.

Seriously no entry since Dec 16, 2009.....what happened.  I said i would blog more and document my life as a SAHM and the kids growing up, but I haven't made any progess.  I guess I will put a reoccuring calendar entry to post once a week. How many people read this anyway?  I guess I could archive it and have something for the kids to read later in life........

Well, the holidays are over, the kids are back in school and things are returning to normal.  Not much has happened in our life.

We will start with Kirsten.  She did not get the Student of the Year for the District.  I told her SOTY for her school is awesome and very few people can EVER say they made this accomplishment.  I told her this is an acheivement she can put on her college resume.  She was happy and she will be recognized at the school board meeting in Feb.  She particpated in the school science fair and got 1st place as well as an outstanding acheivement ribbon.  She got a perfect score on her project.  I am so proud of her because she did it all by herself.  The only thing she needed my help with was printing the pictures from her experiement and of course buying the materials.  Basketball season also started so our Saturdays are now devoted to BB games.

Anthony decided not to play Basketball this year, but can't wait for baseball to start.  He played catcher last year and hopes to play the same position this year.  I guess we need to get out the baseball stuff and see what we need before the season starts.  Not much more going on with him.  He is just relaxing and enjoying school, friends and family.

Vivian is a bundle of fun and excitement.  Everyday is a new journey and I am soooo thankful I get to spend it at home with her.  I never had this advantange with Kirsten or Anthony.  I absolutely love being able to stay home and watch her discover and learn new things each day instead of hearing it from someone else.  She is developing her vocabulary and her personality is really coming out.  She makes me laugh several times a day.  Recently when you tell her no or stop she will just sit/stand there and stare into space with a pouty look on her face.  It is like she is trying to decide what to do next...."do I continue doing this or move on to something else....while I decide I will sit here with this puppy dog look and see if they will let me continue doing this, take it away or find something else for me to do"....Yes she is a handful, but enjoyable.  She now has 16 teeth her 1 year molars have all come in.  I need to check to see when the next set come in because she has been cranky and whiny for the past couple of days.  She has also been great when it comes to eating but the past few days she has been refusing everything I put in front of her...except her snacks and fruit.  My mission today is to get her to eat a balanced meal.  This girl was eating anything and everything I put in front her.  Now she just shakes her head no, pushes it away or throws it off the high chair.  I tried 3 different things for lunch yesterday..hot dog, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets....not one thing got eaten by her....I caved and gave her crackers, an orange and some other snack foods.  I had to get something in her and I got to the point that I didn't care what it was as long as she ate it.

Time to end this entry.....Vivian is waking up and my food battle begins.....

Christmas is less than 2 weeks away.  I can't wait, but that is only because we are going to Dallas to visit my family.  The kids are really excited and I can't wait to see everyone.  I hate that we only see them 2-3 times a year, but that is what happens when you live 500 miles away.

Kirsten has made me so proud this year.  She was nominated and selected as student of the year for her school.  Last week she went to the school board office to be interviewed and do a written assignment.  This interview was to pick the Student of the year for the whole district.  If she is selected as Student of the year for our district then she will compete at the state level for the state student of the year.  I couldn't be prouder.

Anthony has made so many improvements as well.  We are working with him more at home.  I have also been workign with the school to help him get control of his behavior.  He is a honor roll student and does great in school but he likes to do what he wants to when he wants to.  We have seen a drastic improvement over the past month.  He is now starting to talk more about why he is mad or upset.  Before he would just close up and not talk to anyone.  We would have to wait until he was ready to talk or wait until he calmed down.

Vivian is doing more everyday.  She is starting to be vocal.  She tripped over a toy the other day and said "oww".  It was so adorable.  She also says oh when she trips or falls down.  She will also make you do what she wants.  If I am at the computer and she wants my attention she will pull my hand away from the mouse and pull it torward her or try to climb on my lap.  Her favorite word is mom.  She will say it over and over and over even after I acknowledge her saying it.  Sometimes it is followed by a bunch of jibberish and I just respond telling her I understand or that is interesting.  She has also started calling the dogs, but not by their names instead she says dog dog or that is what it sounds like. She understand so much and if you ask her questions like do you want milk or do you want to go night night she will either go to the refrigerator or go to her room.  She is just doing so much that is hard to write about it all.

I am really enjoying being a stay at home mom.  I have been able to do so much more and be a lot more involved in everything the kids are doing.  I would never be able to do all of the things I do know if I was still working 9 hours a day in an office.

Wow I can't believe my oldest is 11.  Yesterday was her birthday.  While she was at school I thought about everything that we have went through in the past 11 years.  Mostly I was remembering the day she was born and how I felt.  I remember asking my mom as I held this fragile hour old baby "can I do this?"  I was so scared while holding her.  Sure I had held babies before but they were always nieces and my nephew.  I never held a baby that I would be responsible for and every thing I did fromthat moment on would be for that child.  All my mom told me is "you will be fine you are goingto be a great mother".  I knew she was right and she taught me well.  I couldn't have a better person to look to for advice.  She raised 3 children on her own.  To this day I admire everythign she did and every sacrifice she made for her children.  I hope she knew how important and how much she meant to me.

I want to share the wonderful news about Kirsten.  She is the Student of the Year for her school.  Next week she will got the school board and compete against all of the other Students of the year for the elementary schools to be Student of the Year for the whole district.  I am so proud her accomplishments and how much she has grown since this time last year.

In just a few short weeks my baby boy, Anthony, will be 9.  So I will be going through all of these emotions again.  He has been my challenging child.  The girls have been so easy.  Kirsten and Vivian were both great as infants.  They never cried and they wer very happy babies.  Anthony on the other hand gave me problems from pregnancy until now.  He is a handful.  He had colic as a baby and we are still dealing with the terrible twos just in a different way.  Who ever said boys are different than girls was absolutely correct.  He has challenged me at every thing from sleeping habits, potty training and school.  I will say in the past 6 months he has been a better child and things are getting better everyday.  We went from fighting every night at bedtime to him getting in bed and staying in bed as well as going to sleep.  He is my night owl and loves to sleep in so school mornings are SOOOO much fun.

It has been too long

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in over a month.  I was doing good and then time just slipped away.  I can't believe it is November.  It is the time of year that goes by so fast.  Just a few days ago we were getting dressed up and taking the kids out trick or treating.  Now we are in November and I am trying to figure out what to buy every one for Christmas.  Before I know it 2010 will be here.

The kids had a blast on Halloween although they were a little disappointed when they got home from school Friday.  This is the first year they have not had a Halloween party at school.  I guess that is one of the differences between public and private school.  I was so happy Halloween was on Saturday this year.  We were able to enjoy the day and not worry about school the next day.  So I am sure you are wondering what did the kids dress up as this year.  Vivian was a very adorable pink monster.  Kirsten was a girl Pirate and Anthony was the Scream character from the movie. 

Kirsten is growing up way too fast.  She told me this would be her last year dressing up.   She will be 11 in Dec and last year she figured out the whole Santa thing, but she promised she would keep it a secret.  It will be something between her and me until Anthony figures it out.  When that happens hopefully they will both keep their mouths shut until Vivian can figure it out on her own.  I am not looking forward to the next year in Kirsten's life.  She is getting to age where things start to change and the attitude has begun.  If she is Miss Attitude now I don't know what I am going to do when she enters "womanhood".  I must prepare myself for Kirsten going through the change and how to help her cope with everything that will be happening.

On Thursday, Vivian started "talking".  Sure she has been saying mama, dada, bye and night night.  She also undertands just about everything we say to her.  But on Thursday she just started babbling and it is non-stop.  All day long while she is playing or sitting down she is "talking"  I will have to capture it on video.  It is so cute.  I always respond with "really that is interesting" or "tell me more about it".  She is starting to figure so many things out.  She is now trying to reach for the door knobs.  She will look under the door if the door is closed.  Since we have her on a schedule she will le tme know if I am not doing something.  Yesterday at lunchtime she went into the kitchen and started trying to open the pantry and when that failed she started pushing her high chair around.  She was like hey mom can you hear what I am doing....that is because I am hungry.  It the pantry door is open, she is in there getting something out.  She knows how to open the containers I keep her food/snacks in.  Man that kid can eat all day.  It doesn't matter if she ate 30 minutes ago if you offer her something she will eat it.  Don't expect to be able to eat any type of fruit in front of her.  I mean didn't you know every piece of fruit I buy belongs to her and you better give her some.

Now Anthony.....what can I say he is a boy.  He is very excited about the holidays, but mainly because basketball starts the first weekend in Jan. Then right after basketball, baseball season starts. We need to keep him active or he gets into trouble.  I am thinking of putting him into Karate or Tae Kwan Do.  I have been told either one of those will help him to learn self control and discipline. 

I will come back here and add the Halloween pictures once I get them off the camera.