Let it snow

I know I have not updated my blog in a while..I promise I will soon! But just thought I would share that in our part of Austin, Texas it is snowing as we speak. It was 82 degrees around 2 this afternoon, and I was wearing shorts while I hung lights on our trees in the yard. Only in Texas would it turn around and snow not even twelve hours later. We got some rain earlier wich was actually frozen rain, and just now when I went outside to take a picture of "Emma's first snow" it was actually flurry like, and it was coming down really nice. However it melts almost as soon as it hits the ground...the ground is too warm considering we were in the 80's earlier today. I will get y'all updated soon!

5 crazy boys

Yesterday we went to my sister's house after picking up John David at school. The plan was for the boys to play, and eat dinner together. I must admit it gets pretty loud, especially when they start trying to play football. The boys watched a scooby doo movie and after dinner enjoyed a push up pop on the patio. They also all headed upstairs together to take a bath. Ethan was the only one that opted for a shower, smart move on his part. He was done and dressed before everyone else. All the other boys got in the tub. The played a little more football with Hanh and then we got ready to head home. Obviously my boys were not too excited about heading out, but it was a school night.

swinging high

I forgot to mention that Tuesday Emma had another first. After John David got home from school we ate an early dinner and headed to the playground. Emma got her first push in the swing and she loved it...she was lauging and smiling. Carlos was swinging next to her and both John David and Sammy were taking turns pushing the little ones. It is great having two older ones, and two little ones. That way there is no fight over who gets to push.

I got a medal today

John David came home very excited today, and was ready to call daddy to share the news. At his basketball class...he was one of the people that got a medal today. He was very ecstatic and said that it was because he was good, and he didn't even complain when he was the shark. He put the medal in a ziploc baggy and asked where he could put it in a safe place. I actually took the medal out and hung it up on one of the walls, he was beaming from ear to ear. It was the first thing he showed JP when he came home.

Oatmeal

This morning I decided to make breakfast...in other words oatmeal. That is as much cooking as I do during the week for breakfast. Carlos was excited and couldn't wait for his oatmeal to cool down enough. He was walking around with his spoon. His actually tall enough and smart enough to open drawers and pull out his utensils when he is ready to eat...very cute. Once I gave him his oatmeal he ate it up...and Gavin wanted some. He even ate it all too. I also fed Emma oatmeal for breakfast and she loved it as well. We have added another food to Emma's list. I can't wait until we can start yogurt and cheeses...yummy.

Peach Cobbler

Sunday was another packed day...it was a packed weekend, but who is keeping track. We went to church and heard Fr. Bob's 28th annual "Good Stop" homily, so that was a fabulous start to the day. Afterwards we met JP's family for lunch. We went to eat bar-b-que at the Salt Lick. The kids were all pretty good, and even John David ate meat, because we told him that if he did not, he couldn't have blackberry cobbler. He is very much a dessert type of person like his mommy so that was a great motivation. At dessert time Emma was beign held by grandma and she was eyeing the peach cobbler...so Aunt Laura gave her some of the bread and peach, no ice cream yet, and she loved it. She kept asking for more...big surprise that Emma would love peach cobbler. Actually I can't think of any reason why anyone wouldn't like peach cobbler from the Salt Lick. We prefer blackberry, but the peach is good too.
Afterwards we headed to Costco to buy snacks for John David's class. He was very specific and knew what snacks he wanted to take. Earlier in the week he had made a shopping list with the specific items he wanted. He wanted Nutri-grain bars, Cheez-its, Goldfish, and raisins. He was upset that Costco did not have raisins, so I still need to buy those, but he helped daddy take the snacks to school.
We then headed to Kyle and spent the rest of the day there. We got to spend sometime with JP's parents and aunt and uncle. Everyone but John David fell asleep on the way home, obviously a sign that our full weekend had wiped them out.

Crazy Saturday

Saturday was a packed day...we left at 9:30 am and did not come home until 5:30 pm. We went to the UCC to give a talk at the Marriage Prep Weekend. I was proud when our kids behaved decently for two other couples who babysat while we gave our talk.
From there we took the boys to eat pizza at Gatti's. We were sitting in the cartoon room, and it was on cartoon network...some carton I do not know was playing. However Sammy made a comment..."mommy this is very interesting." I asked what he meant and he said the cartoon was interesting. To me that was a very grown up comment. My four year old is more attentive than I thought, and apparently nothing gets past him.
We then went to Pump it UP for a birthday party...everyone had a blast. Carlos enjoyed the slides once again, and ate all the black batman frosting from his piece of cake. Did you know that black frosting will turn your stool a neon green...if you are wondering how I know that let's just say that I had proof in a Pamper. Emma did some light bouncing on the outer step with mommy. John David and Sammy had fun by themselves and with daddy. Apparently JP caught Sammy hitting a boy that was trying to push him out of the way. SO JP told him he was proud that he stood up for himself...I don't know if I agree with that but oh well. John David had so much fun, despite bringing the party to end...that he says that is where he wants his party next time. I'm sure you are wondering how he ended the party...well let's just say he did not keep his juice down. If you think the day is over...not yet.
We went to get the boys haircuts. They all look so handsome and grown up with their cuts. Carlos' hair is shorter so JP is upset that it is not as curly.
Our final stop was dinner...Dairy Queen. They boys saw a poster ad for the blizzard and John David requested Oreo ice cream for dessert, and Sammy wanted M&M. So JP has come to the realization that our boys are getting a more expesive taste for dessert. Before a plain cone did the trick...I doubt that they will go back to those days. Only a sign of what is to come.

they were kicking my little brother out

On friday we went to my sister's house for her birthday. She was very ambitious this year and decided to cook. She proved that she can cook...she made some good mole chilaquiles. The boys were excited about going over and playing with their cousins. My sister had some other friends over with their kids. At one point Sammy came and got me...when I went down Ethan and Evan told me that John David was crying. When I asked him what was wrong he said the big kids were throwing the ball too high. The big kids would be Ethan and Evan (Evan just turned six in October and Ethan will be six in December...so not too much bigger than John David.) I told him they were his age...he was quick to remind me that Evan is six. Then I told him they are all in kindergarten so that makes the same age. He then drank some Caprisun and continued to play. About ten minutes later...Keaton (Evan's 4 year old brother) comes and tells me to come down. Once again John David is crying. I tried to calm him down to determine what was wrong, but couldn't get much from him. All I could get from him and Sammy is that the big kids were winning.
JP came down and talked to John David and learned why he was upset. He said they were trying to kick his little brother out. He was referring to Carlos who had ventured downstairs to play with the big boys since Gavin had gone to bed. I was touched to learn that John David was being a fabulous big brother and watching out for his little brother.

Why can't kids go?

On Thursday the "G's" or Gutierrez family had a family dinner. That means that the hubby stayed home with the kids. We went to Fonda San Miguel for my mom's birthday. It is always nice to have a dinner with your parents and actually be able to talk to them. We decided to walk the turkey trot together...my brother will run...but the rest of us are being realistic.
John David was quite intrigued as to why he couldn't go to the dinner for Abuelita's birthday. All I could say is that it was after his bedtime, so he had to stay home with daddy.

That's a nice shirt

Today I dressed up my little boy and girl for lunch with my family. Emma was wearing a cute dress, and Carlos was in a button down. Sammy came in the room and saw Carlos...he said "Carlos that's a nice shirt." I found it cute that he would compliment his baby brother on his clothes.

Fabulous Day

So I want to say that my hubby rocks...he was attempting to take an afternoon off and surprise me, but he let it slip yesterday. It was still nice to have him home early and spend some time with him and the kids. He even brought me flowers...my house smells so pretty!
I'm sure everyone at John David's school knows that it's my birthday...why do I say that...well his basketball coach wished me a happy birthday when I picked him up. Then he told me he told his friends and his teacher. What is even sweeter is to have him serenade me with "happy birthday dear mommy." Carlos was the one who ate all of the frosting from my cupcake at lunch. Sammy was fine with fries and ketchup at Catfish Parlour. Emma was content with cheerios, cake for her next year.
I spent time with my family so that helped make my day great too. I had both lunch and dinner with my parents and sibblings. My mom and sister also have birthdays this week, so we will be seeing plenty of each other this week.
I can't forget to thank everyone for all the great wishes via emails and phone calls...everyone has definitely made my day special.

Sleep Deprivation

No matter how many kids you have, sleep deprivaton can still find you. So everyone in my house was sleeping through the night....I know that makes me spoiled, but I must say I love my sleep and so do my kids. Then 4 weeks John David got a cough which led to an ear infection. Eventually everyone got a little run of the family cold. Emma got a double ear infection two weeks ago. So now I sleep in increments instead of longer stretches. The constant waking up has me in a state of sleep deprivation, and let me tell you that it sucks. I feel like I have a newborn all over again....can't wait until she gets better, so she and I can rest again.

Sammy loves the Bob

I am soooo excited! This last week I got a new stroller...it is a Bob Revolution Duallie...or in common terms a double jogging stroller. All of you know that I will not be doing too much jogging, but it is a great outdoor stroller. I try to go for a walk everyday. In the past Sammy has not been too excited about our walks because he has to walk. When GG is here, Nene and GG ride in the stroller, Emma is in the baby bjorn so Sammy walks next to me. With the new stroller he has figured out that he can sit in the front. So the double stroller is functioning as a triple stroller...I know that sounds ghetto but hey it works. When he hears that we are going to take a stroller he is quick to ask which one. Make sure to look at the recent picture to see all three boys in the stroller.

Escape artist

Carlos figured out how to get out of his bed this past week. At night he was still going to bed fine, but he was fighting the naps. One day I spent an hour and a half trying to get him to nap...with no luck because he kept climbing out. I had to move the rail in order to trick him. So now he can't get out by the footboard, but there is plenty of room of by the headboard. I'm sure that it will only be a matter of time until he figures out that he can get out that way. For now I will miss him coming to wake me up. In the morning he would get up, close the door to his room and come to our room. He would then proceed to pull my covers, and try to grab my hand. I would motion for him to get in bed with me, and he would just keep pulling my hand as if he could pull me out of bed. Then he would bring me my slippers, and point to the door. For a little guy who can't talk he definitely makes himself understood.

Basketball

This past tuesday John David started basketball. It is actually six skill classes afterschool. He was hesistant at first, then agreed to go. He really enjoyed the first day, and is looking forward to going. It was cute to see him try to shoot when he was one of the youngest kiddos there. After it was over he told me that he was sad because he worked hard, and didn't get the medal. I told him maybe another week. He also says that he has to practice, and even tried to move his basketball goal in the garage so he could. That night when he was picking out his shirt...he was looking and looking. I asked him what shirt he was looking for, and he answered one with a basketball. I told him that the only basketball shirt he had was his San Antonio Spurs...since it had no basketball he was confused. I proceeded to explain that it is a team just like the Cowboys...I don't think he really understands, so maybe daddy can try to explain it better.

Emma is 7 months

SO I know that I am behind in blogging, but I figured I need to keep blogging the current stuff, so I don't get anymore behind. I apologize but my blog will be jumping around until I get caught up. Can you believe that our little our girl is 7 months today. She can sit by herself, until she falls down, or gets bumped by one of her brothers. She loves to play with her toys while sitting on the sofa, or playing in the piano or saucer is also fun. The three brothers are still quite the helpers...they all want to do something, and totally love their little sister. This week she has progressed a lot in food....like a true mexican she has had rice and beans and loves them. I also made her mango chicken...which she also loves. I guess I am going to have to mix the meat with veggies as well...I don't think she will too fond of that, but oh well. She can eat two puffs or cheerios at a time now and loves to drink from her sippy cup. Her personality is definitely coming out as well. She is quick to tell you what she likes or doesn't like with a cry or a fuss. I guess it is time to start planning her first birthday party. After all I already have her dressed picked out...I just have to order it.

Swim update

the boys had their last swim class last friday. I was proud of Sammy when he jumped in on the last day. John David would not try...he prefered to walk in through the stairs. Overall the enjoyed their swim classes, John David has asked when they go again. Sammy says he doesn't want to go, but he is the one that enjoyed them the most. I would like them to do more swim lessons again, but we will see when. It was a hectic routine...pick up John David from school go to the YMCA, change their clothes, keep Emma and Carlos entertained for 40 minutes, shower the boys, get them dressed, go home and get dinner ready for 4 starving kiddos quickly. they really made a lot of progress with the daily lessons, so it was worth the trouble, but I just don't know when I will be ready to do it again.

That is exactly what I wanted

Everyday Sammy reminds me how easy going he is...relatively speaking. On two days last week he told me to pick out his clothes and both times he was excited about the shirts I picked for him to wear and he let me know by saying "that is exactly what I wanted." What is funny is that one of them was a new shirt and therefore he didn't even know he had it. I don't think that would work with John David he would have been whinning away. The only day that he lets me poick his clothes is Sunday for church. Carlos will sometimes not want to wear something. How do I know you ask...well he tries to run away or pushes shirts out of my hand and tries to reach for another one out of the drawer. Sometimes Sammy does have his rough moments, but I have to say that for the most part he is very easy going.

Emma loves to eat

well sorta...we are still working on pureed foods, she has had carrots, sweet potatoes, zuchini squash, green beans, peas, avocados, applesauce, banana, peaches, rice cereal and oatmeal cereal. I am going to start mixing up veggies and fruits for some different flavors. Her new things at eating include cheerios, puffs, and drinking from a sippy cup. All signs that she loves texture and she is getting the eating thing down, since she doesn't try to swallow the cheerios and puffs whole. She is mashing them with her little gums, it is so cute to see her move her mouth to eat. What is even funnier is that today I sat her in the highchair. She can barely reach over the top of the tray. She can pick up the little cheerios, and puffs with her fingers, but she hasn't figured out how to get them in her mouth. I guess I am gonna have to buy a tray for the bumbo since that fits her better, and therefore she might be able to reach better.

The one with the C

Patton Elementary had their mock election today, so John David came home with a "I Voted" sticker. I asked him what his sticker was for, and it was obvious he did not understand the concept. I then asked him if he voted for Obama, and he said no. I asked him if he voted for McCain and he made the C sound, and he said "yes, the one with the C." Who knew that I had to educate a five year old in politics, he can't even read. JP made sure that John David knew how to say "Go Obama," and he taught Sammy to say "Obama #1." You can be sure that the next time we have an election all the Regalado children will know what to do.

You gotta love school

John David is really enjoying school, and it is obvious that he spends some of his time listening to his friends. His updated vocabulary now includes "hate" and "stupid", and lets not forget the new phrases "that sucks" and "what the heck."
I must admit that the biggest shocker for me was when he said "what the heck." I asked if he knew what that meant and he said no, so I told him that he shouldn't say things he doesn't know because they may not be nice things to say. JP says I overreacted, and it's no big deal, but he is still my little five year old.

Where's your ______

That is the current game I am playing with Carlos. He knows head, tongue, eyes, mouth, nose in both english and spanish. I have started animal noises too...we are working on snake, cow, and dog. I figured that since he is not speaking he can at least have some cute tricks.

Swim Class

John David and Sammy both did pretty good today. Despite their reservations, they went right into class and the pool with an okay attitude. John David did have two whinny moments, but I think he was just hungry. I think he was too nervous to snack on the way over, but tomorrow he should feel better about the routine, and he should snack. They both said they had fun at class and that they wanted to go again. We will see how tomorrow goes.

the invitation

John David came home from school really excited yesterday that there was an envelope in his folder. He waited to ask if he could open it until after dinner, so i said okay. It was an invitation to one of his classmate's birthday party. He was soo excited that it was a spiderman invitation. He was not so excited when I had to break the news that we couldn't go. You try explaining to a five year old that we were invited to another party three weeks ago, and that we already RSVP'd to that one. Both parties are at 2pm on saturday, and the one we are going to is up north and the other is south. I even told him that the one we are going to is a costume party, so he gets to wear his halloween costume. I even tried reminding him that he is not particularly fond of Chuck E Cheese, but that didn't work either. Hopefully he will just forget...but who am I kidding...he will probably remember.

Me and my friends have little feet

Sammy of course had a different reaction to the news. He was not excited either, but he didn't whine. He just told me that he and his friends have little feet and that is why they can't swim. He said that you need big feet like mommy and daddy to swim. I didn't consider myself, nor JP to be in the "big foot" category, but I guess to a four year old it is all relative.

I don't want to go to swim lessons

John David's reaction to the news that while he was asleep last night, his mommy registered him for two weeks of lessons. He was a tad whinny, of course what else would you expect from him. When I picked him up from school...he was already whining. He was asking what he was going to do. I told him that I did not know. I also had to tell him that as a kid I didn't want to go to swim lessons either, but Abuelita made me go, and that is how I learned how to swim. So I guess his whining is pay back for all the crying I did on the way to swim lessons with my mom.

Halloween Update

I was having a hard time finding some glasses for Emma that actually fit. Even the baby ones from Carter's are way too big. JP was surpised when I told him that I had actually been actively looking for this accessory...hello it is her first halloween. JP had a shopping suggestion, that I had totally overlooked. So four dollars later and after a trip to Build-a-Bear yesterday, I got Emma a little pair of tortoise shell frame glasses...they fit and she looks way too cute. I will update the pictures so y'all can see her. We are almost ready for halloween...just a few more details and we are set.

Carlos and Oreos

About a year ago I took a picture of Carlos devouring his first Oreo. Just in case you are wondering...he ate every bite, except for what was smeared on his face and hands. His brothers were eating mini-Oreos on mondays and of course he wanted some, so I gave him six. Apparently in a years time he is a more refined Oreo eater. I saw him break the cookies apart. Then he proceeded to pick all the frosting off with his fingers. He got all the white stuff into his mouth with little mess. I was surprised when after all the frosting was gone he walked away. I thought his attention ran out and he would back for his cookies, so I left them on the table, but fifteen minutes later they were still there. I had to eat the cookies so they wouldn't go to waste.

earring fiasco

I forgot to mention that I had to replace Emma's cute little circle earrings with some X's. On friday I was going to lay her down for her nap when I noticed she was missing an earring. I started crawling on the floor looking for the earring and all I could find was the back. I then took out her the new earrings and cleaned them to get them ready for when she woke up. When she woke up I took her to the bathroom to put her earrings on. I alwasy sit her on the counter while I do her hair, so that seemed like a good place for me to put her earrings on. I got the first earring on and while I was trying to get the back screwed on, the back slipped out of my fingers and into the sink drain. I got the other back and put it on. Then she had one of each earring, but my focus was now on getting the back out of my sink. I then proceeded to get all the stuff out from under my counter so I could figure out how to open the "trap" on my sink that I had been told about nine years earlier, sinc ei had never used it before. I got the back out, and then I felt obsessed to do a major cleaning on the back. I then proceeded to change the second earring and now she was matching. After picking up John David from school I found the actual earring in the saucer downstairs. I guess I will never know how an earrings falls off, but the back hangs on and falls off later. But I do know...don't change earrings near a sink.

Sunshine

After much work Carlos and Emma's room is almost complete. Today I hung the medallions above Emma's crib. It was quite a task to measure and space them for the haning while my 3 helpers were around, but it got done. I just have a couple more things to hang and I need to find a bedding set for Carlos with elephants. I am quite happy with the way everything has turned out.

The Highchair

Today we went to Dairy Queen as a family. JP and I came to the conclusion that we are definitely a large family. You can't pull up two highchairs to a table for four. So we had to sit at the corner table so we get two highchairs. Emma sat in one for the entire meal....she looked very cute in her new highchair cover and was happy just looking around, and playing with her toys. I'm sure most people come to the conclusion that we are crazy when the see us, but who cares. Despite the large number of children at our table we were still a quiet and well behaved table. It was great to see them eat their food, and then enjoy their ice cream. John David even saves his fries so he can dip them in the ice cream, and doesn't leave a drop. Sammy on the other hand is very eager to share especially with his little brother Carlos. Carlos got very excited every time Sammy got closer with a spoonful of ice cream. Our little family outing was very enjoyable, and these little moments will remain engraved in my mind and heart forever.

Fair in Kyle

On friday night we went to the fair in Kyle. We had some yummy food and the boys had fun playing. Carlos and Micael were in the stroller for awhile, Emma was in the BabyBjorn, and John David and Sammy were walking with JP. The older boys went to play on the playground, and Carlos joined them for awhile. Then JP took Emma so I could help Carlos come down the slide. Eventually Carlos noticed that no one was in the Baby Bjorn and he went as far as to stick his in the carrier. I decided to put him in, and he loved being carried around. He stayed for about ten minutes then he wanted to go play on the slide again. It felt funny to carry him in the Baby Bjorn because his legs went down to almost my knees. By the time we left the fair all three little ones were asleep for the night. John David and Sammy spent the night at their grandma's and grandpa's so they could go to the parade the next morning.

Family Time

Today JP got off work early so we could attend a conference with John David's teacher. We came home and had an early dinner, and then we took off to the park. John David was kicking the soccer ball around with his dad. Sammy wanted to play on the playground, so I stayed there with him and Carlos. They both had a good time as well. The boys also had a good time playing with the zip line with daddy. I made sure to let them know that next time we go to the park, mommy can't help them do that since I carry Emma, that is a daddy special. It was the same playground with the water dolphin, so when Carlos saw it he kept pointing to it. He didn't tug at his clothes this time. Fortunately there were no kids playing in it, as it was definitely too chilly for that activity. So now I know that next time I go to that park I will have to be ready for Carlos to play in the water.

I wanna play in the water

Carlos is definitely growing quickly, he is definitely reaching his terrific two's. On Tuesday I took the kids to the playground, and he was having a blast. Then all of a sudden he was tugging for me to take him to play with the dolphin water sprinkler. I told him no because it was kinda cool still at 10 am, plus I was not prepeared for him to play in the water. There were about 10 other kids playing and having a blast. They all appeared to be Sammy's age and size, so he would have been the only one. As I kept telling him not today, he would alternate at tugging at me or tugging at his clothes. He was trying to lift up his shirt as if to take it off, and he was trying to push down his shorts as well. The other kids had removed their clothing, so he was just trying to do what he saw them doing. Finally when I moved him to another part of the playground to remove him from the attraction, he was not very happy. I actually had to scoop him up and move him to the other playscape.

HAHAHAHAHA

That was the boys reaction when I told them that Lily was going to watch them while mommy and daddy went to a meeting with John David's teacher. As soon as I mentioned the meeting the boys knew someone would be watching them. Their first guess was Abuelita, when I said no then they asked if were going to pick up Grandma so she could watch them. I told them no and told them Lily was coming over...and they just busted out laughing.
My sister told them that they were going to watch TV the whole time she was here, John David was very excited and said "yeah." Sammy response was "we can't do that."
I'm sure the boys will have fun playing with their primos and it will definitely be a crazy house with 5 boys.

John David snores real loud

Sammy often wakes up before John David. When I ask him why he woke up..he will look at me and say that "John David snores real loud." I have never heard John David snore, so when I tell Sammy he doesn't he tells me "I can't sleep because John David is loud." I think it is funny to hear him say that.

Great Helpers

Emma is now drinking formula in a bottle during the day. So that frees up some of my time, and gives her brothers the ability to help and bond with their sister. Sammy loves to give her the bottle and does at least one bottle a day. He tells me he is a "great helper." Which he is, I must say that I am surprised that he stays still long enough to feed her the entire bottle. John David also helps with Emma's bottle. He was very excited to help last night. Carlos has even gotten into the habit of walking over and helping me hold the bottle when I feed her. I guess he wants to be part of the action. Emma is quite content with her brothers feeding her, as long as the leave the bottle in her mouth.

pretty in green

On Tuesday Emma was wearing a pink hair clip. She was in her swing and Carlos ketp looking at it. As soon as I went in to the kitchen, he took it off. When I came back in the living room he was trying to get it to stay on the top of his head...very cute. I asked him if he wanted me to put it on. He walked right over and gave it to me. I put the pink clip back in Emma's hair, and got a green one for him. He pulled it off a couple of times, but he kept coming back to me to put it on again. He eventually forget about it, and left it in his hair while he ate in his chair. With those curly locks he looked very cute with a green clip. I will put the picture in the album shortly.

eeeeese

Carlos loves to take pictures...I am sure you are asking how I know this for a fact. Well he now says "eeeese" anytime he sees me with the camera. It is quite cute. You just have to be careful to not confuse his "cheese" with his "please" because they sound very similar.

Pumpkin Patch

There was no school on Monday, so I decided to take the kids to Elgin to have some good ole fall fun. They got to decorate pumpkins, go on a hayride, and find their way through a haybale maze. Everyone had a great time, and there was minimal drama. John David wanted to bring home a big pumpkin to make a jack-o-lantern, but there was no way to get all of them and a pumpkin to the car. I told him daddy would have to get one for us at the store. Now he is just asking when is daddy going to bring him his pumpkin. Click on the Oct 2008 photo link to see pictures from our outing.

John David the author

John David has definitely taking a liking to writing, and even drawing pictures. So he now writes his own stories, and draws a picture to go with the story. It is quite cute. Below you will find one of his stories as he wrote it....I will have to type in the extended version of the story when he is up to tell me the whole story.

WTTWALIONHHWAFF
ThOAMMEhOOGSNATW
AMFATNATHWHAA

Carlos got bumped to a big boy bed

With Emma taking over the crib, Carlos was moved to a twin size bed. This is the same bed John David used, and it matches all of the baby furniture so it goes great in that room. I am amazed and surprised that he has not figured out he can get up and down himself. The bed is against the wall on one side, and I have a rail on the other side. When he wakes up he just waits until I get him out, just like in the crib. The few days that he has not napped he has just played in his new bed. The first night he slept in his bed he fell asleep on the pillow. He looked really cute and grown-up at the same time. Overall this has been a great transistion, and both him and Emma will have lots of fun as they get older in their new room together.

Emma has a half birthday

So Emma is still growing...she is half a year old already. She is still tiny in size 3% for height and weight when compared to others her age, but she can do so much. She is almost sitting on her own, loves to play in the saucer and can push and roll around to get where she wants. She has the best laughs and loves to talk, she even wakes up talking. She reached other milestones with this half birthday.
She took a bath with brother Carlos for the first time. She was just fine with a toy or her paci in her mouth. She was tired, and Carlos was pushing her buttons by trying to crawl around her to get more toys in the tub.
She slept in a standard crib, with her cute bedding, for the first time. She actually slept through the night. That is not a consistent thing, but trust me it is nice the nights she sleeps through.
She is no longer sharing a room with mommy and daddy. Her new roomie is her big brother Carlos.
She also is now riding in her big girl carseat. Our baby is out of the baby carrier....she had not outgrown her seat, but she was not a huge fan of the carrier. Not to mention our carrier is about to expire...we've had it since John David. She is much happier in a roomier carseat.

This is the third time we come to this store!

That was Sammy's reaction to all our trips to Home Depot. We went three times in three days.
Trip 1
The first day we went to get the paint....and that was not very successful. I picked "Collegiate Yellow," and who knew that was going to be brighter than the bedding and probably even brighter than TinkerBell. I had my doubts as the guy put the color on the lid, but I didn't have the bedding on me, so I figured I would wait to check it at home.
Trip 2
I went to ask them to tweak the color so it would be lighter and less bright. Thanks to the help of a great lady at the paint counter we went home with "Evocative Sunlight." I was all excited and ready to paint.
Trip 3
Needed to buy more Kilz to finish coating the ceiling so the green would not show through the yellow. I used almost 3 gallons...crazy, but that TinkerBell was not going to go easily. this is the day that Sammy let me know he had kept track of how many times we had come to the Home Depot. He told me I didn't need to buy anymore yellow paint, because he had some at his house, and his friend could bring it to me.

Daddy's gone...farewell to Tinkerbell

That is what John David and Sammy say when JP goes to a conference. It was definitely different flying solo with 4 kids for 4 days...but we all survived and had some fun. It was quite obvious every morning that John David missed his daddy. Normally JP takes hime to school in the morning, and he walks him all the way inside the school. With me getting four kids out of the house at 7:15 there was no way I could also unload everyone, so I just dropped him off at the front porch of the school. Every morning he asked if daddy was going to take him inside when he came back.
Anybody who knows me knows that I pick the times that JP is away to get things done. That way he can't give me the "you are crazy look." I mean what husband would agree to paint in the middle of the week. Our weekends are always full of other things, so we just never got around to do things at home. So the project for this trip was to paint Carlos' room so it could become Carlos and Emma's room. I was very thankful to have Sharmila come over two days to help me move the project along. We started thursday around eight and it was done early saturday morning. We bid farewell to "Tinkerbell Green" and said hello to "Evocative Sunlight." I know a lot of you will miss what I commonly referred to as the "Mint Chocolate Chip without the Chip" room. However Emma and Carlos are quite happy in their new room.

I'm going to Batman's house

Yesterday I told Sammy he had to go to the doctor for a check. He asked if he was going to get shots, I told him probably. He asked me how many, and I answered I don't know. He got sad, and said "why did you tell me that?"
So today we went to the appointment. Both him and Emma had check ups and both were going to be getting shots. Sammy also passed his vision and hearing tests. Then when it was time for the shots I asked if he wanted Emma to go first, or if he wanted to go first. He bravely said he would go first. After the TB test, he was ready to walk out, but of course he couldn't because the nurse and I were holding him down. After his shots were over he asked if he could go get his sticker...he said he didn't want to hear Emma cry. He then covered his ears. Emma did cry a tad but only for the second and third shot. After the shots were done she was chilling with her pacifier.
Sammy got an Iron Man sticker, and was sooo excited to be leaving the office. He then mentioned he was going to Batman's house. I asked him why and he said that Batman doesn't have to get shots, and he is healthy and strong. Now how can you argue with that logic.

Sammy it's time to get up

This morning I went to wake up John David to get ready for school. He came down from his bed and then told Sammy to get up. In typical Sammy fashion he said "oh, thanks." I asked John David why he woke up Sammy, he said because Sammy told him he was crying that morning when he didn't get to say good bye. Apparently there was some talking in their room last night before they went to bed. Makes me curious...what do they talk about?

Princess Pea

Emma had peas for the first time today. She ate them no problem because they were made with love since mommy was able to make her food today. My intent is to try to make her food if possible. I bought veggies to try to keep that going, but only time will tell if this is going to possible in our crazy house with four kids.

I didn't even tell him to have a good day

This morning Sammy woke up around 8. He asked me to confirm John David was still asleep. I told him John David had already left to go to school. He got upset and said that he didn't even tell him to have a good day, then he sat on the sofa facing the wall. He was quite sad, and was close to crying. I asked him if he wants me to wake him up, and he said yes. Most mornings Sammy is up before John David so it is not an issue, but now I know how important that good bye is.

Dogs have superheroes

This morning I had planned to go to the playground. However Gavin was too tired to go. So he slept and Sammy and Carlos got to play in the backyard. When Sammy first went out he sat right next to Jasmine, who was laying around. He asker her if she wanted to hear a story about Batman. I asked Sammy a story about what...and he answered dogs have superheroes too. Then he continued with his story because Jasmine apparently wanted a story because she kept giving him kisses. Then Carlos decided to go sit on top of Jasmine. It did not phase her any, and let him sit on her. It was quite cute to see Sammy telling her a story and Carlos trying to lay on her and give her a hug. This is the most the kids have ever interacted with the dogs on their own. Then before we came in Sammy went and told Jasmine bye and that if she was good then maybe next time he came out to play again he would tell her another story. way too cute!

I can ask my friend

I forgot to mention Sammy's reaction to the car ride without a carseat. He did not mention anything about the carseat. His only comment was that he could ask his friend how to fix the Tahoe. Apparently Sammy's friends are very handy.

Big Munchkin

Our friends Raja and Sharmila were over for dinner last night. Raja came up when I was putting the boys to bed to tell them goodnight. As Raja was telling them goodnight, Sammy started saying "goodnight big munchkin" and laughing. It was very cute!
Raja has always called the boys his little munchkins, so intelligent Sammy figured out that if he was a little munchkin then Raja was a big munchkin.

Paying attention

On tuesday when I picked up John David from the bus stop he was all excited to tell me about his day. He said that after snack they went to the cafeteria, and someone talked to them. He told me he had to bring the little book the next day if he wanted a prize. He also said that they needed money for the school, and that is when I finally understood what he was talking about. Their school fundraiser was starting that day. After getting home and seeing the materials I saw the little book he was taking about. Needless to say I filled the book with 7 names and addresses of some of you. Then I had him write his name on the seven pages. He told me he had to write a message to everyone. I told him I had already done that. It took him 15 minutes to write his name 7 times. Can you imagine how long it would take him to write a message? I was just shocked at how much attention he had paid to a random person talking to him about fundraising. He actually knows a lot of what is going on...things like this remind me how fast he is growing up.

BTW...He came home with a duck keychain. It quacks and lights up when you squeeze it. He showed it to me when I picked him up from school on wednesday. He was so excited because only three people in his class got a prize. I opened it for him as he was getting in the car. As soon as Sammy said he wanted to play with it, he asked me if I still had the wrapper so he could put it up. I let Sammy play with it for about a minute then it got put up. John David left the duck in his cupholder in the car. I asked him why...he said because he didn't want anything to happen to it. I guess he knows that is a safe place from his brothers.

What are you doing in the garage?

So on Monday night I was putting the kids to bed, and JP went to close the garage. At first I kept hearing the door open and close. I continued to put the boys to bed. Then I heard banging. I went outside and and saw that the garage was not completely closed but it was at an angle. I asked JP if he was in there. I asked what happened, he said he heard a strange noise in the garage when the door was closing, so by trying to fix it he got stuck in the garage. I went back in and unlocked the entry door from the laundry room, so JP could come inside. He and I tried to unjam our door with no luck. So after a few phone calls, and a couple hundred dollars later our door was fixed around 11pm.

I'm so excited...I never ride up front.

That was John David's quote as he was instructed to ride in the front seat of a vehicle for a one time opportunity. Let me start by saying no state laws were broken, but all of my kids are used to riding in carseats with 5 point harnesses.
JP was driving the kids home in the Tahoe. With Emma crying in the background he called and said that the Tahoe had stopped running, and he was on the access road of IH-35. I was at home because I had been at work last saturday.
I drove over to 35 to pick up my kids. He was stopped 50 feet from the exit of the highway so the cars were flying by. This was not a safe spot to move carseats, plus there was no guarantee that I could fit four carseats in the Maxima. I had the carseat that John David uses in the mornings to go to school, so Carlos got to ride front facing, he is still rear facing in my car. Then Sammy sat in the middle of the backseat, with just a seatbelt. I moved over the base to Emma's carrier, and she was on the other of Sammy. Then I moved the front passenger seat back as far as possible and buckled John David in.
It was only a 10 minute car ride home, but I was driving as carefully as I could. JP waited for the tow truck to bring him and the Tahoe home. Tahoe was fixed on sunday afternoon, and now we are back to normal.

John David the meteorologist

Who knows, but he was today for his class. He came home and very excitedly told me that he was the weather person today. I aksed him what he did as the weather person. He said he went to the window and told his class what he saw. My intelligent son told me that it was very sunny today. I figured that has is 100% so far, and the real meteorologists are never at 100% so that might be a future career. As the weather person he was also responsible for pulling the wagon with the class water bottles when they went to the playground. To be honest he was more excited about the pulling the wagon, than the whole weather thing.

Muchas Gracias to Jilly-O

Over a week ago, Jill was honest and told me that Emma's chongitos were not soo cute. When I tried to argue with her she said Emma looked like a martian when her hair stood up in her chongitos. She even went as far as to say that Emma would be embarrassed by those pictures when she got older. So after that conversation I must say that Jill pushed me to take even longer to do Emma's hair, in order to assure that she is girly cute, and not martian cute. I now curl her chongitos down, and I must admit that she does look way cuter. So I must thank Jill for helping me find a better and cuter way for doing Emma's hair. I'm sure Emma will thank her in the future as well.

A good pair

After having had GG, Gavin, at our house for a couple of weeks he is now comfortable here. Carlos and Gavin get all excited when they see each other in the morning or even after nap. They play well together and truly enjoy each other's company in the house, car, and stroller. Today I found both of them in the dining room. Carlos was using his sounds to get GG's attention. When he saw me he kept talking and pointing at his cousin. GG was dumping puzzle pieces, and Carlos was trying to pick them up. It was too cute to see Carlos trying to teach GG the rules of our house.

You know more than me

Sharmila was over at our yesterday. Sammy was having fun playing with her. She started reading a book and then all the fun ended. He got upset because she knew more than him. He just kept saying that over and again, and got upset. He didn't even want to read books anymore.

Sammy is four

Sammy turned four on sunday. If you ask him about his presents he will say that he got a v.smile, Batman, and Mickey Mouse. I can't believe he is four already...so happy, yet so sad. He can do almost everything by himself. He has even started to clean himself after going potty. He is happy to be with mommy all day long, without John David, but at night he still gets into bed with is brother once in a while. He is definitely vocal about having to walk instead of getting in the stroller. GG has replaced him in the stroller, but soon enough Emma will take that place.

Sit at the table, please

I must say that 1000 times a day if not more. I tell the older boys to stay at table until they are done eating, and if they need something they can ask from the table. Well now I am saying it even more as I am trying to teach Carlos and Gavin to eat at the little kids table. Since Emma has started to eat some solids, I figure that the high chair is her seat now, and Carlos can eat at the little table. I guess I will keep saying my favorite phrase for quite a while longer.

Where's the rain and wind?

I tried to explain to the boys what a hurricane was...lots of rain and wind. Well to our suprise Ike did not deliver to Austin. So John David and Sammy kept asking when the rain and wind were coming. You try explaining how meteorologists are not perfect to a five and four year old.

V.smile

Sammy has been asking for a v.smile for his birthday since february. His older brother got one in January, and he has been wanting one since so he doesn't have to share. He had kept asking Abuelita for his v.smile. Thanks to Ike...on thursday I told him we were going to change his birthday celebration to indoors. His only concern was how he was going to get his v.smile. I reassured him that Abuelita would be coming over with his present.

Well you can't go to my house

I don't know how many of you are aware of the fact that Sammy has a house in Africa. He normally tells me that when he gets his rocketship he will take me to his house. Last wednesday my invitation got revoked...he was eating dinner and he kept getting up from the table. I told him he needed to sit down and eat. He quickly responded to me "well you can't go to my house." I felt like laughing but I didn't. He said it so seriously...almost like if he was punishing me.

Why am I going now?

When I went to pick up John David he was very upset that he was leaving school early...I was only picking him up 30 minutes before the school let out for the day. He told me he still had lots of things to do. He was concerned that his teacher did not give us his take home folder, and his behavior log. He said we could go to the doctor after school...the 2:30 appointment was the latest I could get. I am not looking forward to the day he gets sick and he can't go to school. He will be one sad boy, well at least this year, I'm sure as he gets older it will change.

I will ask my friend what to do

This was Sammy's clever remark at 6 in the morning last wednesday. John David woke up coughing, and I told him we would take him to the doctor. Of course, his first question was if he was going to get any shots. I told him I did not know. That is when Sammy said that John David didn't have to go to the doctor, because he could ask his friend what to do. Needless to say we took John David to the doctor that afternoon. We got our favorite answer...virus, so you have to let it run its course.

I'm tired of being little

John David expressed his frustation that he could not reach his towel as he got out of his bath. I told him I could help him...he responded "I'm really tired of being little." In an effort to make him feel better I told him he was bigger than Sammy, Carlos, and Emma. He responded "I'm not as big as you or daddy." At that point I just told him he would grow little by little. I'm sure that wasn't too reassuring, but what else could I say.

I wanna be a carpenter

That quote is brought to you by Sammy. Today I was sitting in the living room when he told me that he wanted to be a sarpenter. I must admit it took me about a minute to figure out what he was saying, even after I had him repeat himself three times. He just clarified that he wanted to be carpenter when he grows up. By the time I figured out what he was saying, he did confirm that I had it right, but he was ready to move on to something else, and would tell me anything else when I asked more questions. SO if this comes up again I will make sure to get more info for all of you.

Dinoland in Austin

Sunday after mass we headed over to the Dinoland festival. The three older boys were very excited about the dinosaurs. Let's just clarify that I am talking about JP, John David, and Sammy. Carlos enjoyed it as well, but not as much as his dad and brothers. Both Emma and Carlos were great and stayed in the stroller for almost two hours, clearly a sign that there was plenty for even them to see. We saw a little stageshow by Dinoman, and the boys enjoyed it. Sammy kept raising his hand to volunteer, but to his disappointment he never got called up to the stage. John David was laughing at some of the jokes, and that made me realize that he is definitely growing and understands more. At the end of the show there were some inflatable dinos, and the boys enjoyed playing with them amidst all the other children.

Emma is 5 months

Can you believe it? She is growing very quickly. I had asked her to stay little and she is petite, but she can do so much already. She smiles and coos alot, and she loves to put things in her mouth. I even noticed that she had her foot in her mouth yesterday. She can roll in both directions, especially when she is upset that we put her down. Not to mention she is eating applesauce, bananas, and baby cereal. Her hair is even long enough for me to pull it up into one or two chongitos, pigtails, depending on my mood. Just in case it is not obvious I can't wait until I can do more fun things with her hair. She has so many firsts coming up and I'm glad that she will able to enjoy them.

Laughter is contagious

In case you were wondering...I have proof that laughter is contagious. John David and Sammy are watching a movie and whenever they laugh Carlos stops what ever he is doing to laugh with them. It is very cute to hear him try to imitate the way his brothers laugh.

Emma loves applesauce

SO I have been saying for a week that I am going to get some baby cereal, so I can start Emma on solids...but I have not gone to the grocery store. This morning I was washing grapes for her brothers while carrying her. She pulled a grape, and tried to stick it in her mouth. That was my cue that she was ready for solids. Later in the morning I was giving Carlos some applesauce, so I said lets give it a try. She loved it...if the spoon was not in her mouth with food, she was screaming...she didn't even make to much of a mess. So tonight after the boys go to sleep, I will definitely go to the store to get her cereal. Tomorrow when I work I will buy her a cute girly bib.

Save the date...Sammy's getting married

Sammy has been quite imaginative this week. He started by telling me that he needed to go to his house so he could get married. Then he changed the story to getting married on his rocketship. When I ask him who he is going to marry, he tells me he doesn't know. He has brought up the topic on his own everyday this week, so he has kept me amused. I don't even know where he picked up the word. He definitely knows that mommy and daddy are married, but that is all he can tell me about being married...I don't even know if fully grasps that concept. But I will keep you posted on his wedding plans.

Accapadi time

After we left the Burkhart house, we headed over to the Accapadi house. JP had not gotten a chance to meet Saaya. We believe that friendships are formed early so Emma and Saaya had some playtime on the blanket together. We have enjoyed a wonderful friendship with Mamta for over 14 years, and we really hope our kids can develop a wonderful friendship as well.

Emma is older by two months, but Saaya is almost as big as her. Mamta also says that the best friends will also have a wonderful protector by the name of Carlos. That was obvious when he decided to join them on the floor, by laying next to them. I bonded with Saaya by clipping her nails so she doesn't scratch her mommy and daddy. Saaya bonded with her Godfather by falling asleep on his chest. She was quite comfy for awhile even amidst all the noise from our older children.

I must also mention that auntie Mamta and uncle Jos were nice enough to teach John David and Sammy how to play thumb wars. Uncle Jos even taught them the word "distraction," so now they know how to distract you so they can take something away. It was really quite funny at first, but now they fully understand the concept.

I'm sure that after an hour auntie Mamta and uncle Jos were ready to have their quiet house back. They informed us that as soon as we left Saaya would take over the noisemaker role and their house would not be quiet. We couldn't believe them since Saaya was completely quiet the whole time we were there.

playdate with Burkharts

Today started with attending mass. After mass we went to the Burkhart home for lunch and playtime. Catherine and Carlos became best buds. Catherine was happy to take care of a baby and Carlos was content with all the attention and love he received from her. Catherine is quite strong, but her little arms will probably sore tomorrow from carrying Carlos around. Sammy and Kristen played like to peas in a pod. They both have great imaginations, and they had fun playing their own pretend games. At one point Sammy was taking the kitty, Kristen, for a walk. It was really cute how they just added to each others imagination. John David and Matthew just played with whomever appealed to them more at the time. When it was time to go...the boys were sad to leave such a fun house.

Regalado Daycare

I don't know how many of you know my big sister, Lily, but she has a 1 year old son named Gavin. I call him GG...so you might hear about him. He is waiting for a spot to open at a new daycare, so I am watching him. He is over at our house while the John David is in school, so I am still taking care of four. This was his first week over here, but he fits right in. It is nice to see him interact with Carlos. They are very cute and enjoy playing together. Sammy also loves being the oldest and showing the little ones what to do.

Singing

As most of you know I don't have the best voice, but I do sing with my kids from time to time. On thursday John David was trying to teach me a song he learned at school. It was quite funny to have him sing a line and then motion or tell me to repeat what he just sung. According to his teacher there are many more songs to come since she loves to sing.

Lion Bus again

John David wanted to ride the bus on friday...so I let him ride it. He enjoys riding the bus, and besides the seatbelt thing, there is no reason why I shouldn't let him ride it. Friday when he got off the bus, he told me that was able to put his seatbelt on by himself. That made me feel happy and proud because he is growing up and can figure out things on his own now.

Carlos can ride

Carlos is definitely eager to try anything his brothers do. For example they have a battery powered motorcycle that he just discovered he can ride. Sammy got it for his 2nd birthday, and Carlos is already riding it at 19 months. He doesn't know how to steer, so mommy ends up running besides him to keep him going in the right direction. He just gets a big grin as soon as he presses the pedal to go forward, so that makes it worth all the exercise I get. Eventhough the motorcycle can only go up to 2.5mph that is pretty quick when you are doing circles on a driveway. I used to have to do the same thing with his brothers until they learned to steer on their own. The downside is that Sammy has to share this wonderful toy with one more brother.

Apple Pie

So 5 people voted for JP's favorite apple pie. He will eat french or dutch apple, but a traditional apple pie is his favorite.

school bus

John David has been asking since the first day of school to ride the "lion bus." I will clarify that his bus is #0702, but there is a lion sticker so young kids like him can find the right bus to ride. So I am not the one giving it the name, this is something the school district does. So yesterday he asked his teacher as well. So today he rode the bus home. I asked him if he enjoyed the ride home, and he said yes. He said that there was another boy from his class on the bus. John David also told me that the seat belt was too short and he couldn't get it on. He said he even tried two seatbelts. As most of you know I am all about vehicle safety. John David still rides in a five point harness in my car, so you know I was not too happy to hear that. He then asked if he could right it again tomorrow, I told him I would have to talk to daddy.

Actions speak louder than words

The past two days Sammy has been happy, and when I asked him if he missed his brother he would just laugh and say "no." Last night JP went to check them and found Sammy sleeping on his brother's bed. They have been sharing a room for almost two years and that has never happened before. That act shows that he misses his brother and best friend.

Kinder Quotes by Sammy

Sammy was the one who missed his big brother the most. Today he learned that quiet time is not as much fun, when you don't have anyone to play with. He stepped up and was a great helper while John David was in school, but once big brother was back home he went back to his usual self. Here are his quotes about kindergarten.

"why can't I go to school with John David?"
"I don't even know what Mrs. Gottschalk looks like"
"can we all get off the car to pick up John David?"
"I'm hot...I'm hungry...where's John David?"

Kinder Quotes by John David

SO as most of you know today was John David's first day on kindergarten. He was very excited about going and we are very proud to report that no tears were shed this morning. He are some things he said about kindergarten.

"I was a big boy and I didn't cry"
"we have two potties, one for boys and one for girls"
"we need to wash our hands so we don't get germs on people when we touch them"
"mommy you packed me too many grapes, and goldfish"
"when the time runs out we have to stop eating"
"we walk in a line with our hands behind our back"
"why do we walk in a line?"
"why do we walk with our hands behind our back?"
"Mrs. Gottschalk says we put our hand behind our back so we don't touch the wall and get our hands dirty"
"Mrs. Gottschalk counted 12 boys and 6 girls, so that makes 18 children"
"can you call Mrs. Gottschalk and ask if I can ride the Lion bus?"
"Mrs. Gottschalk said that we could only play on the things that were dry, not wet, on the playground"
"my shoes came untied a bunch of times"

JP's cake update

The count is up to four since today we had another cake at his parent's house. It was a chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard cake. It was pretty yummy! As far as I can tell it looks like this will be the end of his celebration for this year.

Claire's

Today after mass we headed up to Kyle. JP wanted to go to the outlets to look for some shoes, so JP's parents volunteered to watch the kids. We left the three boys and took Emma with us. On the way there I asked JP if we could pierce her ears, and he said it depended on time. We went through our shoe expedition pretty quick, and in less than hour we had bought four pair of shoes for JP. I told him we doubled his shoe wardrobe in one day...I thought it was funny, he didn't.
We headed over to Claire's and there was no wait. I picked little round ball earrings in 14k gold for her. For those of you wondering, she cried...but for the most part she was great. Daddy and Mommy didn't cry, eventhough I was pretty sure JP was going to, but he was strong for his little girl. I will email a picture later, so y'all can see how she looks. She looks even prettier than before!

three...so far

So as of tonight JP is up to three birthday celebrations. The first one was wednesday when Sharmila brought over a lemon meringue pie when they came for dinner. This afternoon his coworkers got together for lunch and a homemade tres leches cake. Tonight we had BurgerTex and cookie cake with my family. The weekend is just starting, so we will see how many more celebrations there will be for his birthday this year.
Every year JP makes fun of how many birthday celebrations I get, but I must say that he deserves everyone of them. I know how hard he works to support our family, and to give me the opportunity to stay at home with our children. I know the past two and half years he has gotten up to go to work, while somedays I was still asleep in bed. Then coming home to a noisy not so perfect house with no guarantee of a fresh, hot dinner. I know that for me my daily motivation is our children, and I know that he only wants the best for our family. I appreciate everything he does for us, and he deserves the best as well!

Gottschalk

I'm you are wondering where I got this title...so just read on and you will find out. Today we went to John David's school for Open House. We got to meet his teacher and go to his classroom to put up his school supplies. He was quite excited walking up to his school with his backpack full of supplies. Then close to four the doors opened and we could see who his teacher was...he is in Ms. Gottschalk's class. There were 20 kids on the list today, but I'm sure all that can change. His teacher was really warm, and caring. She was very organized and greeted him by saying that she knew he was the oldest of four. She mentioned to us that she had four as well...however she had 1 boys and 3 girls. He had to color a picture of him going to kindergarten. He chose a purple crayon and got to work. He drew his head and eyes, then a mouth...in other words a smiley face. He then told me he drew ballons and a party hat. That to me was a sign that he is looking forward to some fun days in kindergarten. Some of the other parents already knew each other due to older children at the same school, but they were all very nice. We met a lady who had her little in this class, but her two older sons had been in the same class. She said Ms. Gottschalk was great, and that all the children loved her. We are looking forward to a great year!

Abuelita's Salon

Thursday we went over to my mom's for dinner and for haircuts. John David had requested that Abuelita cut his hair, since he had heard that Abuelita had cut Ethan's hair a couple of weeks ago. So John David and Sammy enjoyed getting haircuts while they watched Popeye cartoons. But there was something more exciting after their bath. They got to use the vacuum to clean up all the hair from the floor. They both wanted turn after turn, so after 30 minutes of vacuuming the clean up was over, much to their disappointment.

it's all relative

So on wednesday I went to San Marcos with the kids and my sister Julie. John David kept asking about how much farther we had to go. My sister was like you just asked that. So then he started saying that it was not as far as Grace and Tony's house. I found it quite amazing that he could relate that Austin was closer to San Marcos than to Houston. Of course anytime we drive anywhere in Houston it feels like we are in the car for a long time, and he remembered that from our trip two weeks ago.

head thump felt around the world

Raja and Sharmila came over for dinner on wednesday. While I was getting the food ready the guests were playing with the boys. Raja had always enjoyed the fact that the boys learned to head thump pretty early, and even encouraged that behavior. So while I was cutting the meat I heard Raja and Sharmila talking to Sammy about how he hurt Raja. I then learn that apparently Sammy head thumped Raja pretty hard on the temple. Raja took a time out on the sofa for awhile to recoup. So after five years of head thumping there will be no more of that for Raja.

Earring Poll Results

SO thanks to everyone who voted...even those of you who learned how to beat the system and vote twice. The results ended up being...7 yes's and 3 no's. JP also told me that he voted "yes" today, so Emma is getting her ears pierced. Now I just need to make some calls tomorrow to get it figured out, since Daddy wants to be there.

Lion bus

I had just recently had a conversation with a friend about the bus. She mentioned that she had another friend that always has her daughter ride the bus at least once during the first of school. The concept is that the first week the teachers and drivers are more aware in helping the students learn the routine. That way her daughter would be familiar with the routine if she ever needed her to ride the bus. It definitely made sense, so it was something in the back of my mind. When I checked the mail today we had received the school bus stop notice for John David. I mentioned it to John David, and show him that it said he was on bus #702 or the Lion bus. He asked if he could ride the bus. I told him we would talk to daddy and decide. He then asked me for the paper so he could show Sammy. He was obviously quite excited about the bus. He even asked to see the paper later in the day again. JP and I have not decided what we are going to do, but I am glad to see him excited.

chocolate chips

This afternoon I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. I must have left the pantry door open, because I found Carlos in the pantry. He had found the Costco sized bag of Toll House Chocolate Chips and had opened it. This bag is generally behind the flour or sugar in an effort to hide it...apparently I didn't do a good job. His hands and mouth were full of evidence. He had a big smile on his face, until I closed the bag and the pantry door.

One more week...

So the countdown keeps getting smaller. John David starts school in one week. That means only one more week with him at home all day with me. After spending two years at home with him, I must say I will be sad to see him go to school. The house will be different without him. Sammy will miss his play buddy, but at the same will be glad that he doesn't have take turns and/or share. Carlos will soon figure out that there is no one to help him get on the bed, or sofa. Emma will not have both brothers at her side when I have to do something.
I was wanting to get out and do some fun things this week, but we will see if the weather cooperates.

yeah

So Carlos officialy has a word that is recognizable and is used appropriately. You can ask him if he wants something...he might shake his head up and down, or he may say "yeah." If he is really excited he might say it a couple of times, especially if food is involved. Today when he was suppose to be napping I could hear him saying "yeah" over and over. It was quite cute! I will try to record him saying it and then try my luck at posting the video. So check back.

Yummy for my tummy

So we are still in Edna. We drove to Victoria for lunch and went to Baytown Seafood. The boys had their usual chicken nuggets and strips. JP was also predictable with his popcorn shrimp. As soon as I saw the lunch specials I knew what I was going to order... whole fried flounder. I squeezed a bunch of lemons and chowed down. It was very yummy. The last time I had this yummy fish was in Galveston at Stingray's with Grace and Tony before we had children.

Greetings from Edna

Today we piled in the Tahoe, picked up grandma and grandpa and drove to Edna, Texas. We are visiting JP's cousin and his family. Sammy wanted to bring his Batman costume, but we had to leave it behind in Austin. Emma just chilled in the car. Overall it was a good trip. We only had to make one potty stop and since that took place at a Dairy Queen we got dessert. I had a strawberry sundae, until John David decided he wanted to trade because he didn't like the hard candies in his. In other words I ended up with an M&M Blizzard. Sammy just had a taste, but then he didn't want anymore. Carlos however kept asking for more. It is a good thing that the spoons for Blizzards are longer than normal, because it was easier to feed him since I was sitting in between John David and Sammy in the third row.

Things Happen

So over the years, I have had several turtles, I have even adopted turtles. But as of monday night the last turtle in the tank has gone to turtle heaven. I had prepped JP saying that we should expect one of the boys to notice the missing tank. Right on cue...John David asked where the tank was as soon as he sat down to eat his breakfast. I told him the tank was gone because the turtle was gone. He asked me if I threw the turtle away. About a minute later Sammy comes up to me and says "that's terrible, but it's okay...things happen." I had to hold back the laughter because he was being serious...and Sammy is rarely serious.

Batman

So this weekend while we were visiting the Sarman's we learned that Thomas likes Superman, and pretends to be him. He was even wearing his Superman pj's with a cape. Apparently Sammy has a favorite superhero, and we just didn't know. I guess he was not going to let Thomas have one up on him. He kept telling Thomas he was Batman. At one point I even overheard them arguing with each other about who was better. This argument was a traditional kid argument complete with the loud voices and the "my dad says" lines. This continued all weekend, even when they were happily swinging next to each other. It was really quite cute.
This evening I told Sammy I had a surprise for him. I took him upstairs and gave him a Batman costume that used to be John David's. My mom gave them each a Batman costume many years ago, but even my little Sammy can't fit into a size 1-2, so he had to wear his brother's size 2-4. He was sooo excited, and put it on right away. He kept running around the kitchen and living room. JP even sang the Batman tune for him and whenever he stopped, Sammy would ask for him to sing it again. He said that the cape helped him fly and even wanted to sleep with it, but since it is a costume he had to take it off. I am sure that we will see Batman again tomorrow and the next day after that and the next day and many more next days...know what I mean.

Carlos is 19 months

Carlos is very happy and active. He has a very cute and contagious laugh, and loves to give kisses and zurberts. He is brave and willing to try anything. While in The Woodlands for Aimee's party, Raja took him up the slide at Pump It Up. He was scared the first time, but he wanted to go again because his brothers kept going. So after coming down a couple more times on mommy's lap he was ready to go solo. JP thought I was crazy when I laid him on his belly and let him go down feet first. He laughed the whole way down. After this he would walk to the slide when he was ready to go up. Daddy got a chance to take him up and see how much he enjoyed it, especially when his brothers came down beside him.
His favorite things at the moment are holding his and Emma's lovies in the car. He has also started sleeping with a stuffed elephant this past weekend. He loves carrying around any bag with a handle and putting things in it. He also thinks it is funny to knock down the lego towers Sammy and John David build. I don't think they find it as funny...you can generally hear Carlos laughing, and them going "no no, Nene."

Mystery Solved

SO the hunt for a Scooby Doo lunchbox has come to an end. Raja and Sharmila found one at the Target in Kingwood on saturday. People kept asking us what the lunchbox looked like and we couldn't answer until now. It is in the shape of the Mystery Machine, and has all the characters looking out the windows. It is really quite cute. John David was excited to see Scooby. It was Sammy though who made the comment that it was "Scooby and the Gang"John David placed the lunchbox on the nightstand next to the bed that night. Then on sunday on the way back to Austin he had the lunchbox in his lap while he watched Scooby Doo videos. When we got to my mom's for dinner he took it down to show her. On monday his backpack arrived, and as soon as we opened the packaged he put it on, and then ran to get his lunchbox, and was walking around with both. John David is the happy camper as we keep buying all his stuff for school. I just hope he doesn't loose all the happiness and excitement for the first day of school.

I scream, u scream, we all scream for ice cream

So we left for Houston on friday. We decided to go tour Blue Bell. We had heard that there might be a wait for a tour, so we got there early. Turned out we were set for the 12:45 tour. It was 12:20 and we were waiting for our tour. We had not had lunch yet, because we figured if we had a long wait we could always eat while we waited. The boys were hungry, so daddy bought them a scoop of Cookies and Cream to share while we waited.
We departed on our tour and got to see them make Rocky Road, Strawberry, Moollenium Crunch, Buttered Pecan, and ice cream sandwiches. Did you know that one machine can make 120 sandwiches per minute? It was really cool to see them pour all the ingredients in gigantic quantities. At the end of the tour you get a scoop of ice cream, so John David had Rainbow Sherbet, Sammy had Cookie Dough, JP had Southern Blackberry Cobbler, and I had Caramel Turtle. (Carlos just got a bit from everyone.) While we were eating the ice cream, John David said that he got to eat two scoops of ice cream before lunch. JP and I just commented how that was their lunch. We figured that after two scoops of ice cream they were full enough to make it to The Woodlands.

Emma is 4 months

Time sure flies...especially when you are having fun. I know this is our fourth child, but it still
amazes me how quickly they grow up. She is soooo alert, she smiles, coos and of course cries. She can even sit up in her Bumbo. In the morning when she gets up she just lays in her crib and talks away. JP says she gets her chattiness from her mother. She is just so cute to listen to.
She is defininitely different from her brothers. We know every child is different, but we have to attribute some of her differences to gender. I don't remember the boys talking that much. Even Carlos doesn't talk as much as Emma. She also loves to be held, and at that in a particular way. She is definitely "la princesa." She definitley makes sure you know she is around, and that she gets plenty of attention. The boys were definitely more laid back than her.
It's a good thing she has three brothers that love paying attention to her. All of them will go up to her and talk to her and entertain her, so things can get done around the house.
It will definitely be interesting to see her little personality develop as she keeps growing.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

or should I say...Carlos see, Carlos do. He has become quite the little monkey. He is ready to do anything anyone else does. If Emma is laying on her mat or the bed, Carlos goes and lays next to her. If Sammy laughs at a video, Carlos laughs too. If John David is playing with a toy, Carlos wants to play with it too.
He may not have a vocabulary the general public may understand, but he definitely makes himself understood to us and his siblings. He has different sounds, tones, and inflexions to say and ask many things. And lets not forget his cute face that can be happy or pouty.
Today he kept going to the trash can, and trying to get things out. I told him no and pushed away his little hand. He walked to his daddy, who saw he was pouty. JP asked him what was wrong, and he made some noises and raised his hand and pushed it away the way I did. It was quite cute to see him tell his side of the story.

School Supplies

It's hard to believe that John David will start school in less than 3 weeks. Yesterday I was looking at backpacks online with him. He picked out a green backpack....big surprise. I still have some of his school supplies to buy...so I figured that I should hit the stores this week, before supplies dwindle, and definitely to avoid tax free weekend madness.
I can only guess that they will be having lots of art time. Why else would he need 16 glue sticks? They have some other random supplies on his list 100 6" paper plates, and 100 brown lunch bags. Once again more crafting comes to mind. Of course the traditional Crayola crayons and markers, #2 pencils, pencil box, Elmer's glue and tissues are also in the list. Somethings never change.
Thanks to his Grandma, and Abuelita his wardrobe is all set, we just need to get him a pair of tennis shoes. I'm sure I will blog about that experience, so check back in soon!

Grandparents

Grandparents are an interesting phenomenon. You probably are asking yourself what? But how is it that kids can walk into a room of strangers and feel most comfortable with grandparents? It doesn't even have to be their own grandparents. It is almost like grandparents are grandparents to all children. For example this evening we went to Renato and Tina's house for a mass with Fr. Tommy. Mr. and Mrs. Fragale where there at the house, and soon after mass was over, they were playing with our boys, and the other children that were there as well. My kids have only seen the Fragales a couple of times, but they felt quite comfortable with them. By watching the kids play you would have thought that they knew the Fragales pretty well. The Fragales just had their granchildren from Florida for almost a month. We even asked if they needed a break. She answered that after a week without Guga, Yara, and Giampaolo she was missing the excitement, and was ready to play with kids.
This same phenomenon occurred earlier this spring at Mamta's baby shower, where the kids played with the Accapadi and Motwani grandparents. I guess a grandparent's love is so strong that it radiates to all other children. So grandparents beware...there are lots of grandchildren to love, especially if you are around our family!

Kids miss mommy

Well at least John David. Last night he asked me if I was going to stay home tomorrow. I said yes. He said I needed to wash his clothes because he only had three shorts left. I told him daddy had already washed his clothes. He then asked, where are they. I told him, he could help me put them today. So this morning at 7:30 we were folding clothes.

Hubby rocks

Today is our nine year anniversary. JP arranged for Simran and my brother to come watch the kids, so we could go out for a quiet dinner. This was a surprise for me...JP took care of it all. He was even dressed in a long sleeve shirt. I'm sure all of you will be surprised when I say that we left all four with Simran, my brother joined her later.
JP mentioned some places to eat, and I sugested Pei Wei, because I was in the mood for lettuce wraps. So I know that is not the most romantic dinner, but being out without kids was the real treat for us. Towards the end of our dinner a family with three young boys sat near us. With the father watching the kids at the table and the mom ordering food it was a scene that made me miss our kids. I asked JP if watching them made him miss our kids, he said no. It just reminded him that we didn't have any kids to watch over.
After dinner we went for dessert. We went to Chili's because he knows how much I like the paradise pie, and it had been awhile since I had it. It had actually been so long that I must confess that I had to look at the menu to remember the name. Of course I had my mango tea, and JP decided to have a margarita.
When we came home Simran had the two little ones asleep, and the older two were in bed already with my brother. So many thanks to her for letting us have a dinner without the kids.

Dinner

I must mention that JP is on vacation for three weeks, so I have been working at USA Baby. I sporadically work there whenever I have time or JP is able to watch the kids. I enjoy sharing my experiences with other moms and moms to be. Let me get back to the point of my blog. Monday when I came home from work, he had dinner ready on the table for us. Nothing fancy just sausage and beans, but as a mom of four I know that even such a simple dinner can be a hard task to accomplish. He even had my tortillas ready for my sausage wrap. It was quite sweet!
Today our friends brought us over some homemade Indian food. Sharmila made us some rice, and some chicken that was absolutlely delicious. (Mamta you would be proud...he didn't call her 10 time to ask what she was making.)
Since I was not around the kids all day, I only have one funny story to share. Sharmila and I were talking while John David and Sammy were watching Scooby-Doo. John David had asked us to be quiet, but we kept talking. His next comment to us was "if you are not going to be quiet, can you turn up the video?" Both of us held the laughter in, and I turned up the volume so we could keep talking.

oops..two piggies

I forgot to mention that yesterday Emma moved up to two pigtails. She looked very cute with her two yellow bows...yes I know some of you may be shocked to hear that Emma was not wearing pink.

the boys can eat

Today I realized that our boys can chow down some serious nuggets. We went to campus to eat lunch and celebrate Phaedra's birthday. On the way we stopped to pick up 50 pieces of chicken nuggets, 3 drinks, two large fries, ketchup for Sammy, and honey for John David. Surprisingly our family of 5 ate lunch for $16 and even more astonishing is that we only had 5 nuggets left in the end. John David finished in record time with his dad, but he only ate 8.5 nuggets and some fries. Sammy and mommy are on the slow eating team, but he finished 10 whole nuggets, some fries, and like six packets of ketchup. Carlos got a slow start...he was quite comfy sitting in Lisa's lap, but once he got into his groove he ate five nuggets, and some fries. After this huge lunch, the boys had some serious energy, so we walked down to the Texas Memorial Museum on campus.
John David said his favorite part was the dinosaurs...aka fossil exhibit. Sammy said all of it was his favorite. On the way back, being highly athletic and in shape I suggested we should take the bus back. (I was not looking forward to reliving my memories of walking up the hills on campus in 100 degree weather.) JP agreed so we got all four kids and the stroller on their first "forty acres" bus ride and headed across campus in the comfort of air conditioning. I'm sure we were quite a site, but all the kids enjoyed the bus ride. As I am typing this I realized that we didn't sing the obvious toddler song that would fit the occasion..."The wheels on the bus"...but I am sure that the other riders were quite happy they were spared from the never ending song.
After our bus ride we headed to our favorite snow cones...sno-beach. I was quite happy with my old traditional favorite of pina colada with cream, JP had lime and the boys had grape. Then we finally headed home from our fun filled afternoon.

Sorpresa

This weekend was crazy family time with the "G's". My brother told us to go to my mom's for enfrijoladas, and a surprise. We all thought he was getting engaged, but it turned that my aunt Nana came in from Mexico City for the weekend.
All three boys got to go swimming both saturday and sunday with their cousins. By sunday night Sammy was very confident in the water and was swimming with an inflatable kickboard all by himself. At one point Sammy tried to go from one float to another by himself, and went underwater for a couple of a seconds. After he got over the scare he said Ethan didn't hold him, but was back to swimming shortly after that. John David still wanted to be held as he swam with a noodle, but he is more confident in the pool as well. Carlos was happy just playing in the water with daddy and Simran.
Emma did not get to go swimming, but she did have a first. Nana pulled Emma's hair up into her first "chongito" or pigtail. She looked cute, and even took a nap in my aunt's lap.

Meet the kids

John David is the oldest, and just turned five in June. He is very helpful, and wants to do everything by himself. He will be starting kindergarten this fall. His hobbies at the moment are puzzles, taking pictures with his kiddie camera, and playing with his soccer ball.
Sammy is our "Mr. Silly." He is always smiling and laughing and tries to make everyone else laugh as well. If you ask him how old he is he will tell you he is three and a half, and that his birthday is September 14th. He also claims that he has friends at his house far, far away in "Aprica."
Carlos is our cutie with the curly locks. He is definitely "Mr. Happy" about 98% of the time. He is generally easy going, unless he can't do something one of his older brothers is doing. He is 18 months, just started walking by himself, and loves watching The Wiggles.
Emma is our latest addition. She is 3 months and loves to smiles. She enjoys cooing and getting kisses from her big brother Carlos. She is definitely petite when compared to her brothers at the same age, but she is growing fast.

Welcome

My friend, Mamta, started a blog and that intrigued me. I thought about starting a blog, but never got arounnd to it. SO when my sister, Lily, started a blog I decided that if she could do it with working, and raising her two boys, then I could do it too.
I know most of my postings will be about being a stay at home mommy with my four kids. Until recently I had four children under the age of five...hence the name of the blog. Whenever you need a little laugh feel free to check the blog, as you will for sure find great stories from our crazy house.