Jason and Tashia visit.

I better get this done right now that Kahlan is asleep and the details are fresh or it will never get done.  Jason and Tashia took their first family road trip and came to visit us.  We had been talking about it for a while now and were pretty excited about the idea but to actually have it happened it was just such a treat for all of us.  We offered them to stay with us since their kids and ours have around the same ages and we told them they could stay as long as they wanted and we could just hang out or do stuff together.  They arrived Friday evening and the kids instantly started to bond.  Our first outing together was the Battleship Texas in San Jacinto, Jason and his family had a list of things they wanted to do and were looking for fun and inexpensive things too, so that was a good choice. We got to go on the ferry which is something their kids had not done before... exciting stuff. 
It was kind of rainy so we didn't stay for a long time, we came back home and Steven and Amber came over to visit for a while.  On Sunday we went to Steven's ward to be present for the baby blessing and after that we had a big meal at our house courtesy of Jason and Tashia and by that I mean that Tashia did all the cooking.


 This was the first Sunday we went to church together for Damon's blessing.


 
It was a little crowded but we managed to find a spot and eat.  All the cousins were having a lot of fun, including Niya who was visiting from Florida. On Monday Dan had arranged to stay home so we could go to the Houston Nasa Space Center.  We met up there with Steven and family and then took a bus tour of the
facilities. 
 

 We got discounted tickets for the entire family and the cool thing was that they printed the Family name on them.

 Aaron and Joshua building space stuff, they thought that was the coolest thing ever.



For Jason's kids it was the first time to see it and for the locals it was just as fun to go the second time around.  We had a picnic there and then continued on with the fun inside and the nice AC (we were literally melting outside).  After a while my baby had had enough and Dan and I headed home for the day.  On Tuesday we were basically hanging out at our house because the rain was pouring down and there was no where to go, the plan for that day was to go swimming at our neighborhood pool... oh well.  Wednesday we went to the beach and that was super fun, once again Dan stayed home to spend the whole day with
Jason and family. 



 She is such a cute little girl, we miss her so much.


 

The kids were jumping in the waves, playing in the sand, Shayna ended up completely buried in it.  The kids and I built a sand castle, you know I always have to build one when we go to the beach but since I have a little baby that requires most of my attention, the kids finished it without help.  A lot of us go sunburned but it was oh so worth it.  The drive home was long and I managed to sneak in a cat nap... after we got home Jason and Tashia were invited to spend the evening with Steven and Amber and had dinner there.  We just stayed home and relaxed, it was much needed after a long day of fun.  On Thursday Amber had the girls come over to work on some skirts and they spent most of the day there cutting and sewing, they all did a great job with their skirts.  Lindsey was the only one to completely finish hers, Shayna still needs to work on hers but it already looks great.  Thursday evening Dan and I worked our magic on our famous "Churrasco" (Guatemalan BBQ).  The food was great and everybody loved it.  Friday we went down to the Hermann Park and Jason & Tashia  took their kids and mine on a train ride, it was so hot that we just could not stand it and ended up looking for a place to park and then go look for the underground tunnels that Jason found last time he was here. I had never heard of it so I was really interested in going.  I have to say that it was a very interesting day that included me driving on the wrong side of the road... yes Jason and Tashia were following me and they too ended up on the wrong side.  I felt like a complete idiot!!!  Later on I did it again but both times we managed to fix the situation right away... nobody died and that is a good thing.  Dan was going to meet us down there and the plan was to have lunch together but his car broke down and we didn't get o see him until two hours later.  Car is all fixed now just for the record.
That same evening we had planned on going to the drive in theater and that was also a first for Jason's family so they were in for a great treat, we knew they were going to enjoy it, we got a great spot at the front of the drive in, we had packed our food and Tashia made us sandwiches, we had lots of goodies for the kids to keep them happy.  We saw the last of the Harry Potter movies and it was so good.  It was the perfect night.  The kids were all tired so we headed home after the movie instead of staying for a second one.
Saturday Dan and Jason went to the movies, Tashia and I stayed home with the kids and made some freezer jam for her to take back home and when the guys got back we went out shopping for a while.  We got beads to make Tashia a watch and now she is the proud owner of one of my creations, I had done watches for her girls that I promised to send about a year ago but never got around to do it, so it was the perfect opportunity to get it done while they were here.  I think they love their watches, too bad I did not take a picture of them.  In the afternoon I took the kids to the pool for like an hour so they could cool down a little bit and after that we all went to the Houston Motor Sports to see some car races, it was so much fun. We have been there 3 times before but just for the drag racing, this time they had actual I Nascar cars competing.  It was loud but very fun, Steven and Amber also showed up and their girls were all very interested in the cars too. I took my kids down to the track during intermission to meet the racers and get some pictures taken and autographs, it was Tristan's dream come true.  Tashia and I left a little bit after the intermission because the younger kids were very tired and my poor Kahlan was scared to death, but the guys stayed behind with the rest of the kids and did not come back home until way later.

On Sunday we  went to church and later on we had another great meal together, my famous burritos with home made beans and flour tortillas.  I also made some wheat bread for them to take on their trip, they tried while they were here and loved so much that I just had to make more.  Steven and Amber came over to hang out and say their goodbyes and we were able to take a picture of all the cousins in the backyard.
 This is what happens when three families get together and there are only 6 adults!!!
We are so happy they came to visit us and decided to spend their vacation with us, for us it was a treat since we did not get to go on vacation anywhere and it was a cool experience for my kids.  Victor had the time of his life with his cousin Caleb, they played together all day long every single day.  Shayna felt like she had 2 sisters to hang out with and basically got to have a sleepover every single night.  They played all kinds of games, watched movies, jumped on the trampoline until late at night, did crazy dancing in the dark, got dirty, got wet, you name it they did it.  For me it was just so cool to hang out with Tashia, talk, laugh and go shopping together.  They have such a cool family and we love their kids.  I hope it wont be too long before we see each other again, we never got our girls night out like we had planned so it better happen next time.

My first encounter with a police officer..

I got my driver's license when I was 25 years old, almost 10 years ago and I have never been pulled over by a cop before.  I am a very careful driver and follow all the rules ALL the time.  So it was a huge surprise to me when I was happily driving with my kids two days ago, paying attention to the road when I see the lights flashing behind me, I figured the cop wanted to pass me to go get a bad guy... turns out I was the bad guy.  I immediately started to shake and wondered what in the world had I done wrong, did I forget to signal?  did I turn left when the light was red???  I honestly did not know why he was stopping me.  I was so nervous but tried to remain calm.  As soon as he approached me I knew he was not a nice cop, he asked me if I was aware that my son was out of his seat in the back, I immediately turned around to look at Victor because he is the one that gives us trouble with the seat belts.  He asked how old he was, I said 9 and he said "Really?"  why would I lie???  It was in the way he was talking to me the entire time like I was a criminal or something and being very rude and sarcastic with me, when I told him that I had never been pulled over by a cop before he asked "Have you been pulled over by anyone else?"  He wasn't joking or anything and there was not even a smile, I mean he could clearly see how stressed out I was.  I know he was just doing his job and he probably encounters all kinds of people all day long, but he could have been a little bit nicer to me.  Then he happened to mentioned the real reason why he pulled me over...both my brake lights were out.  I had no idea, I told him that I didn't know but then he just moved on to the same subject, getting on my case for Victor playing in the car while I was driving, he thought he was not wearing a seat belt, which he was but the middle seat belt has to be adjusted to your waist and apparently he had not done so, so when I asked him before we left the house if he had his seat belt on he said yes and he wasn't lying, he just did not adjust and that's why he was fooling around in the back.  I am a responsible parent that is always making sure they put on their seat belts on, every single time we get in the car, we sit there until they are all ready to go, it can take up to 5 minutes to get everyone ready.  While the cop was in his car all I could think of was how much the ticket was going to be, and I kept telling the kids "See? How many times have I told you to put your seat belts on or a cop is going to get me?", I say that every time.
He did not give me a ticket and for that I am grateful, but I was sent with a citation and told me to get the lights fixed, then he started to get on my case about the seat belt thing once more and told me to go home and teach my kids about car safety.  That's when I asked me to talk to Victor because he was the one not wearing the seat belt and he got really upset with me, he said he wasn't the parent and that was my job.... I tried to make him understand that I have done that all  their lives, tell them and make sure they have their seat belts on, did it help? NO, they still don't get it or I would not have ended up in the situation I was at right then, so I said to him that I would love to take the opportunity for Victor to finally understand the consequences of it, I told him that since he was a police officer and talked to him maybe he was going to finally understand....
The police officer I think finally took pity on me and understood that it really wasn't my fault or that I really try to be a responsible parent and maybe the fact that by this point I was in tears and shaking so hard.  He talked to Victor and asked him to make sure he wears his seat belt every time we are in the car and to sit still while his mom is driving.
When the whole thing was all over I just sat there and started crying like a baby, don't know why I get like that.  It was so stressful and scary at the same time.  The kids were scared too because I had told them so many times before that it was going to happen some day and they thought that I was going to go to jail... Victor was pretty freaked out too and has been asking me if the cop is going to come back and get me, since we fixed the lights right away I told him he wouldn't, he knows now that I was not kidding before.
The annoying thing is that he WAS wearing a seat belt, he definitely knows better now and we are implementing it more than usual.
So there it is, my exciting first time dealing with a police officer.  Too bad he was not friendlier, too bad he could not see what a mess I was or did not care for most of the encounter.  I know they are just doing their job and there are people out there that are not safe at all, but it still bothers me because I was really focusing on driving that day, I was not on my cell phone but concentrating on the road and I did hear Victor being noisy but I did not see him jumping or anything, what he likes to do is talk to Kahlan and make her smile.  My new rule?  Don't talk to Kahlan while they are sitting in the back.

Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

I was dreading this last post because of the picture.  I don't have time to put make up on everyday, fix my hair or anything like that because I have a little baby and 4 kids that need me and so forget that.

This whole challenge was really fun and interesting because I found myself writing about a lot of things that I keep to myself or haven't shared with that many people before.  I like writing, I have always liked writing, I mean when I had time before I got married you would find me writing in my diary at least a couple of times a day.  I find it relaxing and it feels good to let your thoughts come out.  I know the challenge was supposed to be done in 30 days but I just could not keep up and the only time was when the kids were asleep or busy eating their lunch.  There was also the visit of my mother in law that took a few days and I just did not have any time at all to sit at the computer.  So here are my 5 good things that happened since I started this challenge.



1. This is major for me.  I lost some weight and have been able to keep it off for 4 weeks.  It is nothing amazing but it feels good to know that my body is starting to cooperate with me.  Treadmill and some exercises were used to keep it up but due to back pain the exercises had to be kept to a minimum.
2. I cleaned my laundry room and organized it so that I can find things in there now, that it where I keep my sewing stuff so it was kind of wild for a while.
3. I started to clear my master bedroom of all the laundry and it is a work in progress of course since the laundry never ends.
4. My baby is starting to get mobile and this is a good thing for me because it allows me some hands free time.  I love my baby girl and have been enjoying her but it is a good thing when they start finding their Independence from mom.  I love how she can move around by rolling all over the floor and she is working on her crawling skills, by no means is she crawling but I say she is pretty close.  She lifts her tummy off the floor and she is on her knees while pushing her head on the floor and moves about 2 or 3 feet at a time.  She is only 5 months but that is pretty good on my book.  She is also enjoying eating solids and  I have discovered that she likes rice cereal mixed with squash better than just by itself.

5.I was able to update my blog more often than in the past few months and it felt very good, but I am glad this is over so I can post about other important things.

Day 29: 3 Wishes

When you are little you fantasize about so many things and wish based on things that you don't have but want.  Then you grow up and realize that they are not that important and then you start wishing for things that will benefit those around you.  My wishes are basically related to my kids.  I wish they will turn out to be responsible and good hard working people, that they will try really hard to their best in life.  I wish they will have a very happy and fulfilling life and that means basically to be and do what ever makes them happy as long as they are not braking the law or making wrong choices.  I wish for their success in life and their happiness and that will make me happy.

Day 28: Something that stresses you out

I get stressed out by many many MANY things, but the one that drives me completely nuts is not having my house clean.  I promise you that if I did not have kids my house would look absolutely neat and organized.  But would I trade my awesome family for the neatest house?  I think not.  I rally think that if I learn to organize myself and really stick to it then it could be done but we are all learning here.  I am just enjoying my summer and trying to spend time with my kids so we do what we can but most days my house is  a mess and I am always worrying about the what if... like what if the missionaries stop by, what if my friends stop by... it stresses me all the time.  Don't get the wrong idea, it is mostly shoes that don't get put back in the same place, toys that constantly appear out of nowhere, dirt and grass that gets stuck to my kids shoes when they come  back in from the backyard and of course the piles of laundry that I can never get to before I do some more. 

Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in

By the way it has been 3 years and a couple of weeks since we moved to Houston and we still love it, so much that the day came and went and we did not even realized it.  Guess what?  We don't even feel  like moving away this time maybe we will stay here for good?

Day 26: Your Dream Wedding

Well this one is particularly interesting because although I am for ever grateful for the effort a lot of people put into our wedding so many years ago... it was not at all what we wanted.
I really don't mean to sound weird about it but think about the most awaited day of your life (up to that point) and all the plans that you made including the dress... all gone.  I recognize that I had to deal with what I had at the moment but I felt cheated out of what was supposed to be Dan's and our day.  It isn't anybody's fault really, it is just what my life has been all about.  When Dan and I decided to get married we instantly thought that it was going to happen in my country, with my family and our friends.  Never in my wild dreams did I dream of having my wedding so far away from home.  I had already chosen the dress, we had the place almost set up for our reception and were planing on what kind of food to get, we were even getting a disco (basically a DJ with all kinds of music) for that day.  My mom was going to make my dream cake that we had planned since I was like 14.  But it was not meant to be, after a few months of figuring out how to go about making me legal in this country we found out that the best thing to do was to marry in the states and coming in with a "Fiance Visa", which meant that all the planning was done for nothing.  Since we really wanted to get married at that point we didn't care and did not think of the specifics.  It all became so real when my mother in law asked me to go with her  to pick out a wedding dress and then I realized how lost I was in this country... I had no idea where to get a dress, I didn't know how much I was supposed to spend ( I had some money for it that I brought from back home), all I knew is that I was all alone to make the decisions, I really needed my mother at that point.  I thought that if I could find a dress then everything else would just come together somehow and it did.  Some sisters in the ward were pros at making wedding receptions a reality and they took care of everything for me, all I did was choose my favorite color and they took over.  I had no saying in how the decorations were going to go, how the tables were going to be set up, the food... nothing. 

The temple ceremony was so special, it was done in Spanish and they had a translator for my mom when they did it in English.  Outside was beautiful, the trees were already changing colors and the background for the pictures was just awesome, that is something that I would not change for the world.  The reception pretty much was all about us being on display, with people coming over to us to congratulate us, basically we stood there for hours and didn't even get to eat (my mother in law would not let us leave the line)... I am not really complaining but this is how you get the idea that by no means did we think it was the perfect wedding.  My dream wedding would have all of my friends from back home, all of my family.  We would have a reception outdoors in a place with a nice garden and surrounded by trees.  We would have  a dancing floor because we latinos LOVE to dance... the food would be a very traditional one, tamales for everyone.  The dress looked soething like this  (a mixed of these two dresses)



My dress looked more like the second one but  the top of the dress looked more like the first one, the thing that I loved the most about the DREAM dress was the little bow on the side.

That's it, Dan agrees with me on this one, it would have been way funner.  I can picture myself dancing almost all night long with friends probably since Dan does not like to dance but the fun thing about the wedding back home is when you go around and walk to people to their tables a do a toast.  Also the bride and groom usually have their own table where they sit and talk and eat, yes we could have had out own meal.  If I could do it all over again that is how it would go down :)    In the end I guess all of this really does not matter as long as the end result is the same, I married the best man ever (at least for me) and we are still together and yes we are getting our happily ever after.

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

I don't own an iPod but I do have an MP3 player..here is my list:

1. Wild Side (Motley Crue)
2. Armageddon It (Def Leppard)
3. Foreplay (Boston)
4. Always With Me, always With you (Joe Satriani)
5. I'll Remember (Mariah Carey)
6. Because of You (Kelly Clarkson)
7. This Love (Pantera)
8. The One (Shakira)
9. De Que Me Sirve (Julieta Venegas)
10. More Than Words (Extreme)

Day 24: Something you've learned

I really didn't know where to go with this post because it is not specific.  I have learned so much in this life and hope to learn so much more.  I don't consider myself a wise woman and I thought that by this point in my life I would know everything there is to know to life and family, kids... everything really.
From a very young age I learned that life is hard, plane and simple one day my world as I knew it came to a complete stop and I was faced with a new kind of life that I did not know existed.  All I knew was that one day my brothers and I were sent to stay with one of my aunts and we spent the whole night playing around, having fun while at home my mom was dealing with the death of my dad. 
We had no clue, I mean we knew he was sick, I knew he had to be in bed all the time because he had all those tubes coming out of him and he looked so different than before.  But that night we didn't know that he was done being sick, that his poor frail and skinny body had had enough and it was time for him to go.  Grown ups have a funny way to keep kids occupied so they don't worry and I really hope they had not done that to me, I wish I had been there to say good bye for the last time, I have lived with the guilt that I was having fun while my dad was dying... I know it is silly to think that way but that is how I feel.  Sure I understand that my mom was probably a mess and probably did not need three kids asking all kinds of questions.  It wasn't until the next day that we came back to the house and I remember (very vaguely now) that there were lots of cars in front of my house, lots of people wearing black and crying, including my mom and I will never forget how when I asked her where my dad was she said he was dead and my little brain did not register what she was saying.  I looked for him and did not find him, later on somebody picked me up to see him inside his coffin and that was it, the last time I saw my dad.  From that point on life around me was all about feeling alone even though I still had my mom and brothers.  I grew up a very depressed child and teenager.   All I saw around me was how mean people can be and some times those close to you.  I always knew there were going to be better days and I am so glad they came, life is still hard some times but it is plenty fun and full of blessings too, I mean look at my happy little family, we are together, we have each other and there is a lot of love around us.  We are what we make of ourselves, life is tough but it is up to us to be able to live through it.  I know there are people that seem to be going through life with no problems at all and that is when we feel that life is not fair but we will never know how life really is like for them.  I don't really wish my life was different now, I did when I was little but can you blame me?  All my cousins were well off, they didn't have to worry about things like I did, they had a real house, they didn't have to worry about money.
I finally understood one day that all those experiences really made me stronger.

Day 23: Favorite Movie

There was a previous post about my favorite movies but I guess if I have to choose my favorite movie ever... it will have to be Braveheart.  Ever since I saw it for the first time I just fell in love with the whole story, sure there are lots of bloody scenes in the movies but I get passed that and just enjoy the love story and I LOVE how they portray this man and the kind of person he is supposed to be.  One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when he is at his father's funeral and the little girl comes to give him a flower, it makes me cry every time... that is pure love and fell in love right then and there and he never forgot her, nor did she.

Day 22: What's in your purse?

1. My wallet
2. Certz
3. Store receipts
4. Toy from gum ball machine (confiscated from my kids)
5. Stride gum
6. TRASH
7. Some change
8.  Lip gloss
9. A hair scrunchy from Guatemala
10. My Taser gun (just in case I get attacked when I go shopping by myself at night)
11. My keys
12. Pen