Sorry, baby girl.

Julie is back from Brown. We headed to Sea Dragon for a nice family dinner. The food was delicious and the kids were all well behaved. Towards the end, Emma fell and bumped her forehead on a chair. We got some ice for her...since it looked bruised almost instantly after the fall. However Emma was not willing to leave an ice pack in between her eyes. once we got home, we put a video on to distract her, and we tried to apply more ice to minimize the swelling. Carlos was wanting some ice, but would giggle and say cold, when I put it on his nose. I guess we will have to wait to see if it is bruised in the morning.

Here comes Santa Claus

We got together today with some college friends for our annual christmas celebration. It is great to see how all our families have grown, and how quick the kiddos are growing. At this gathering Santa makes his appearance and gives the kids a present. I wanted to make sure that everyone was going to be okay with Santa so I told the boys about our upcoming Santa meeting on friday. All the boys were excited, even Carlos.
All the kids were excited when Santa arrived. Carlos had the biggest grin, and all of them sat down to listen to Santa read the night before christmas. When Santa started handing out presents, Carlos kept saying he wanted a present from Santa. As soon as Santa called his name he walked up and got his present. Emma went with daddy to get her present, and the older boys went by themselves. After the presents it was picture time....and Carlos was ready, actually he didn't want to leave Santa. He kept going up and waving, and wanting to sit in his lap...it was very cute. Emma however wanted nothing to do with Santa, so we ended up with a picture of the boys smiling while Emma is crying in Santa's lap.
On the car ride home, the boys asked if Santa was real...I asked what they thought. Sammy said he was a fake and John David said he was the real deal. I asked Sammy why he thought he was fake, and he said Catherine and Kristin told him. Needless to say when he went up to Santa he made sure to ask for Ben 10 toys.
I love this tradition and look forward to many more years with Santa!

Snow...more like flurries.

This past friday it was a cold day and we had about five minute of flurries. Nothing stuck on the ground, and I have no pictures to prove it. I had put the little ones down for their nap, but I could still hear them talking. Sammy was watching X-men and I was putting up laundry. When I saw the flurries, I told Sammy to come. He was quite concerned about missing the X-men. I told him I would pause it and then record it for him. I got the little ones, and came down to bundle them up. By the time we made it out....the flurries were pretty much gone. I still took some pictures so we could document that we missed the snow.

book worm

It has been totally amazing to see John David's reading skills improve by leaps and bounds. He is very excited and eager to read to anyone who is willing to listen to him. His vocabulary is increasing as well. We have recently discovered one down side to the reading....we can't spell things out we don't him to know. He just puts the letter togethers and tells us the word. Then he just laughs and gets so excited that he knows what we are talking about.
Last week there was a book fair at his school. Everyday he kept asking when we could go buy some books.
On wednesday he woke up at 5:30 am, got dressed and came in our room to ask if he could go to the book fair with daddy. So we sent him back to bed, and when I went in to wake him, he woke up and came down to eat breakfast, and was ready to go quickly. JP took him to the book fair, and all the books he wanted were hardback so JP tried to limit his books. Apparently John David gave daddy the sad boy look, and two minutes later John David was excited to get his books. John David needs to remember that look he gave his dad, as it might come in handy again in the future.

She's a peach!

That would be how JP describes Emma at the moment. She has been walking for about a month. She still reverts to the 3 point crawl every now and then...but if you ask her to walk, she will do it most of the time. She is also developing her emotional side. She is definitely not a happy camper when you tell her "no" or take something away. She will through herself on the floor, and have her little drama as long as someone is watching. The moment you leave she stops. During the drama if you try to talk to her she will just say "no" and get away from you and continue the show. Sometimes it seems very comical to me, so I have to keep myself from laughing.

When are we going home?

This is the question Sammy asked me several times this morning when we were home. I told him we are home, and he looked at me and said "no...I am pretending we are at the playground." He even pretended to be on a swing and slide...he is definitely one to imagine and pretend. Last week he even told me he wanted to be a "space alien." I asked what is that, and he said..."a person who explores space." Eventhough he is no longer visiting his friends from Africa he has other things to keep him creative.

Pigeon Books

John David just discovered Mo Willems and the pigeon books. He thinks they are soooo funny, and he loves reading to his brothers and sister, and anyone else who sets foot in our house. Sometimes he can't even make it through the book without laughing either...despite that he pretty much knows them by memory now, since he brings one home every week. His school library has four of the books, and he just rotates through them. He is definitely enjoying reading now, because he will even pick up a book without being asked to read. He really enjoys reading to his siblings, and discovers he can read more books everyday as his reading improves. It is really exciting to see his reading, and vocabulary grow on a daily basis.

my butt

That would be baby boys new phrase. He did it for the first time this past tuesday. He was upstairs taking off his clothes so he could take a shower, and he came out to the landing and mooned JP and I as he laughed and said "my butt." A couple of times a day I find myself telling him to pull his pants and underwear back on. He is definitely following his brothers...and of course the brothers get a big kick of it...so why would he stop with such a great audience.

speed crawler

I think Emma is practicing to become a speed crawler...she definitely knows that she can get there faster if she crawls and she only walks if you hold her hands. If you let go she sits down...so she is following two of her brothers' footsteps. Like I said before...I am in no hurry for her to walk. Carlos will have an interesting life once she is mobile.
She loves going up the stairs and will show off that skill several times a day. Mommy has to be quick if we are already upstairs because she make a run to the stairs when she know that we are coming down. She has not attemted down the stairs, but I will have to show her. I know that she will learn that quickly, just like getting off the beds and sofas.
She will also try to hit and when she is told no....she gives you a cute laugh or smile. Her daddy claims that she has learned Diva qualities from her friend Aimee Grace. However it is just her being a girl. On the trip to Houston one minute she screams because Carlos is touching her or trying to hold her hand...and then 2 minutes later, she is screaming because Carlos will not hold her hand. girls...go figure!

tenders and boys being boys

Just a heads up, this is not about a food. So awhile back JP and I had discussed how we never gave the boys a name for their boy parts. Apparently Kung Fu Panda has done that for us. Both of the boys can be heard making comments about their "tenders." Yeterday the radio was on and the boys were dancing, and I even overheard Sammy say he was spanking his tenders. His back was towards me, so I really don't know what he was doing, except being a boy.
They both have think that booty and poop are funny things. They haven't laughed when they toot, but I think that will happen any day now. They are such boys...and Carlos even laughs with them.

Bye Bye Diapers

This is probably not the most exciting update for all of you, but it is a visible change in my checking account. Carlos no longer wears diapers not even at nite. He has been diaper free since two weeks when he refused to put on a diaper at grandma's house after his bath. I can count the number of accidents we have had on one hand...I must say that I am very thankful for that. We have even made two trips to Houston with potty success. He prefers the Elmo underwear and other Sesame Street characters are a close 2nd with the pinguinos and Wiggles in a tie for 3rd place. He only wears the non character underwear after an accident...so that way he is motivated to keep his favorite characters dry.

bye baby girl face...hello stairs.

This morning Carlos came into my room and hopped into bed with me to watch his Wiggle video. At that time Emma was fussing, so JP brought her over too and he left to go to work. While I was laying there, I noticed that at 15 months and 3 days Emma has lost her baby girl face. Even with her crazy morning hair, she still looked more grown up. This evening I have looked at some pictures from the past...and it has confirmed that Emma is growing and changing. I am sad to see this happen since she is my baby, and on top of that my baby girl. I know that every change brings a new discovery and she will soon attempt more new things. For example today discovered she can climb the stairs...and she did that 3 times with her brothers calling her from the top, and her mommy following behind. We will have to try to get a video of that tomorrow.

Pinguinos and Elmo

I have to say that I am very suprised at how cooperative Carlos is being with potty training. I just figured I would try this while we are home during the day. If we go somewhere we will still wear diapers, just like at night. Thanks to grandma and abuelita we have a good supply of Elmo and penguin underwear. The first day he wore Elmo and we had three accidents. Day #2 he had penguin underwear and his goal was to keep them dry. When he did have an accident he told me "pinguinos wet" and I had to hold back the laughter. Day two had two accidents and I thought he was done with potty training. He got frustated one time when I took him potty because he wanted to keep playing, so when I took him to the potty he threw the undies in the potty. I was able to refocus him with a pair of cookie monster and grover undies and we were back on track. Yesterday he only wore his underwear in the afternoon, but he was able to keep the pinguinos dry. Today we were back to Elmo again, and he made it through the day. At 3 he told me he was wet, but I didn't see any obvious clues on his shorts. When I took him potty I noticed that his undies were a tad moist, but that was it. To me that is a sign that he realized he was going and stopped it so he could go potty, so I really think he has it down pretty good. He put on a pair of clean undies and made it through the rest of the day. We will try again tomorrow, and hopefully he will do just as good.

I'm not a magician

John David was playing with Sammy. John David was magically hiding items and Sammy had to find them. Sammy would ask for clues, and John David would say that a magician doesn't tell his secrets. Then they traded places, and it was Sammy's turn to hide the things. When John David was looking he walked right past were Sammy had hidden something. Sammy was quick to tell John David he had missed it, and John David reminded him that a magician doesn't tell his secrets. Sammy responded "I'm not a magician." I must say that was the end of that game.

4th of July

We did our usual celebration and went to Kyle for fireworks. This year Sammy stayed outside and enjoyed the fireworks...past years he had gone inside the house. Carlos and Emma were not so happy about the fireworks, so we went inside and watched Sesame Street. John David and Sammy ran around and played with their cousins, and had a blast. Carlos played with Elijah and his tub of dinosaurs. Despite having been sick the night before Emma even had a blast playing inside the tub of fun. She thought it was great to be able to get up and down and play with some dinosaurs inside the tub. She even got a couple of dances in with her padrino. All the kids fell asleep on the way home. When we got home JP discovered that Jasmine can open doors. We knew she could open the dryer door, but she has apparently expanded her repertoire. I am sure her motivation was the fireworks, but at least they were both safe.

Look at me, I can swim

This past sunday we took the older boys to Fiesta Texas. My in-laws were awesome and watched Carlos and Emma so we could have some quality time with John David and Sammy. The day was really about them. When we first got there, they both wanted their maps, so they could see what rides they wanted to do. They also got to see Scooby and Scrappy first thing in the morning. It was awesome to see them get excited. We actually got to see Scooby like three times, and each time the boys took pictures with him. Scooby was even out dancing in the street party with Mr. Six and John David went out there to do the chicken dance, la macarena, and a couple more dances.
We knew it was going to be hot...so our plan was to head to the water park and chill there for awhile. The water park had a rocky start. As soon as we got to the play area Sammy says he needs to go potty. I take Sammy who is saying "I can' t hold it," to find a potty. When I come back I see JP without John David. Then I see a boy who I think is John David coming down the water slide. I had just taken Sammy's shoes off...so I pick up Sammy to see where the slides come to an end. I see it is a 3 foot area....but as soon as I getting there John David is entering the pool. I had to place Sammy at the entrance ands tell him not to move, so I can get in the pool to rescue John David. The lifeguard is helping him walk, but he has that sad I'm scared, but I am not going to cry look on his face. As soon as he sees me walk into the pool towards the lifeguard he starts crying, and then I have to carry him out. After that he didn't want to play at the water park anymore. We went to another pool area with less water and it took him awhile to warm up.
Finally we decide to go to the wave pool. I got life vests for both of them so it would be easier on us. Sammy quickly learned he could doggie paddle and get around. He was so excited at his new skill, that he told John David he would help him. John David was not wanting to try, so that limited the fun a bit, but for the most part Sammy had a blast. He was the saddest boy when we had to leave the pool for the safety break. He was upset with us for awhile...but nothing we could do.
I really think that if we can get Sammy in the pool at least once every week...we can definitely make some progress with his swimming. John David still needs more work, but we will keep trying with him as well.

roller skating

I had to take advantage of the cooler weather today, and do some outdoor time. So this morning I told John David and Sammy we would roller skate after Emma went to nap. They were so excited. Even Carlos was asking for skates...but I had to tell him we didn't have any for him, but he play with something else outside. I took out the Eeyore bubble blower and he entertained himself with that. John David and Sammy had a good time. John David is still marching around, and I have to remind him to skate. Sammy has a good skate going...he is definitely more eager to try things. We headed in for lunch right as the storms blew in...so it was a fun morning at our house.

I already told you yesterday.

My house is full of little helpers. They help make the mess and the help clean up the mess. Carlos has been helping unload the clean dishes from the dishwasher, and now John David is helping. Carlos would just take everything out and put it on the counter, and he would throw all the utensils in the correct drawer for me. I would then go back and sort out the utensils and place in their appropriate places. John David can actually put up the utensils, and some of the other things...so that is pretty cool. Yesterday John David said he had an idea...he said that I need to put all the forks together, all the spoons together and all the knives together. He said that way it would be easier to put up. He does not know that when I am loading the dishes I am just putting things in there quickly, and don't really think about that. This morning when he was unloading he was quick to tell me with his little six year old attitude "I already told you yesterday," and I said I know. So today I have actually been sorting out the utensils for him. He will be so proud of me when he helps unload the dishwasher. Who ever thought I would be following the instructions of a six year for loading the dishwasher...but I don't want to loose my helper.

Thanks to a wonderful daddy

I know father's day was last weekend...but I am a bit behind on blogging. I want to make sure that I thank my hubby for being a wonderful daddy to our kiddos. He's the first to say that he never thought he would have four kids, but what would he do without them. He is a wonderful role model for them, and makes it a point to spend time with each one of them on a daily basis. I appreciate everything he does for me and for our family and for putting us first on his list of things to do. It is fun to see the kids enjoy time with their daddy as they grow. The have mutual love and respect for each other and I look forward to many more daddy's days.

I can say cheese

watch my little cutie say cheese for her picture with her brother's sunglasses.

Potty time

Carlos is getting excited about the potty. For the past two weeks he has consistantly used the potty before his bath. He walks up to the potty, straddles it, puts his little hands on the wall, and then pees. Some of the pee goes in the potty some does not...but part of the learning process. So we have lysol and clorox right under the sink ready to use. I thought about getting him to sit while he goes..but he is imitating his brothers that stand up and pee in the big potty at the same time he goes. I guess I need to look into buying the Peter Potty, or toddler urinal, to minimize the mess on the floor. On father's day he took a big step...he told me twice he needed to go. When I took him the first time he peed at Aunt Marcie's house, and then the second time he went poo-poo at my mom's house. I tried doing the underwear thing at home this week but we just had accidents, we will need to keep trying. I'm sure there will be more posts on this to come.

independence equals mess

I am glad that the boys are getting old enough to do somethings on their own. John David will take a shower or a bath on his own. Both John David and Sammy will go and brush their teeth on their own. It is great to see them become independent at some tasks. There is a down side...and that is what I am not happy with. John David gets water all of the floor on the way out of the shower...makes me worry about somebody falling. Then their bathroom is constantly dirty...both the sink and the potties. The sink is full with toothpaste...which is a sign that they have brushed their teeth like I asked. The dirty big potty is another sign of independence...cleaning their own bottoms. The little dirty potty is a sign of Carlos going potty by himself. I want them to get better about these things on their own without a mess, but I don't want to fuss all the time because they are accomplishments. I want them to keep striving to become independent little men, but at the same time teach them some neatness without squashing their little self-esteem...such a fine line to walk.

Happy 6th Birthday John David!

It is definitely hard to believe that he is 6 years old! Time has definitely flown by. He had a great day today. He went to camp this mirning, and was excited to be in the 6/7 year old group. They sang to him at the end of camp...so that made him excited. We then had Ethan over for the afternoon to play and they got to watch a Power Ranger movie. For dinner he requested pancakes...so we had breakfast for dinner and chocolate cake. He got soccer shorts and a ball, a razor scooter, pixos, a bug net, clothes, shoes, and money. It was good to see him enjoy his day!

fly swatter

so with everyone home the past week it feels like my house is full of kids and flies. I can't answer why we don't have a fly swatter, but we just don't. I went to walmart this week and could not find one to buy. I was telling John David that I could not find one and his friend, Isai, told me that they keep with them with the garden stuff....who knew. He told me they have like five of them at his house...so I guess that is why he knows where they are at. I checked in the broom section, and near the rodent traps, but did not find one. I did think about the the Garden Center but I was too lazy to go from one side of the store to the other. I guess next time I know where to look.

growing friendships

This past week has been great to observe John David grow his frienship with Isai. This little boy was in his kinder class. They went to soccer camp together and we did the carpool thing with his family. They were both excited to be at soccer camp together, and the morning that I woke him up and told him we were taking Isai to camp he was so excited...he was also excited to hear that Isai would be bringing him home. Eventhough camp is over at noon, he did not come home until five from Isai's house. He came home and talked about all the fun things he did with Isai. The next day Isai came to our house, and all the boys including Sammy and Carlos were excited to have a new playmate. It is interesting to see how he interacts with his friends vs his brothers. The boys played on the waterslide outside and air hockey inside. Before we took Isai home we went to Sonic and got slushes, and drove with the windows down. Everyone was tired after that long day.

bear...bear

Carlos is really communicating using words. His speech has greatly improved the last two weeks or so. He has always enjoyed the animals at the zoo, but this time was the first time, that he was telling me what he wanted to see. We were looking at one bear and he would point up and say bear...so he wanted to go see another bear. When we past the aquarium he said fish, and wanted to go in. He also said monkey when he was ready to leave the kimodo dragons and see some monkeys. We are working with our animal flashcards at home, so he knows a lot of the names, and some of the sounds. He also thinks that "oso" is a funny word...but maybe it is just the way I say it. We will have to keep his animal knowledge growing.

Best Western

After Fiesta Texas we headed towards our hotel. The older boys were excited to be sleeping somewhere else. John David and Sammy slept on one bed together, Carlos was in a pack and play next to us, and Emma was in her pop up crib next to Carlos. After a long day at the park...bedtime was not too hard. We put them down around 9:30 and 20 minutes everyone was asleep. I was even in bed 10:30 myself as well. You can't do much in a room with four sleeping kids, so the early bedtime was great!
The next morning John David was excited to eat a Texas shaped waffle for breakfast. They really enjoyed all the different items the hotel had for breakfast.

Fiesta Texas

The thursday after John David got out of school we took a vacation to San Antonio. The kids had a blast. Carlos was excited to see Dorothy, Wags, Henry, and Captain Feathersword sing and dance in front of him. John David and Sammy were singing and dancing along, eventhough Carlos just sat on my lap. He was not willing to take a picture with them, but his older brothers did.
John David and Sammy got to ride lots of rides. Sammy was excited to ride Dorothy's rompa stomp roller coaster...he even rode by himself and was not afraid. It was great to see them riding and laughing multiple times. The park was not very packed so the boys got to ride each ride a couple a times since the lines were short. I don't think we will be that fortunate the next time we go back.
John David also enjoyed getting wet at the park...next time we go back I think he will really enjoy the waterpark...it was closed the day we went. The last thing we did on the way out was to get our passes with our pictures. John David and Sammy were soooo excited to have a card with their picture...they wanted to look at it and hold it. They just kept saying how awesome it was!

I can dance and sort shapes.

Emma has figured out how to dance in her favorite position...sitting down. She crosses her legs in front and rocks her little body. She enjoys laughing while she does it, especially if her silly brothers are dancing with her. She also enjoys playing with the radio...she sees Sammy turn on music so I guess she tries to do it too.
The other skill she has gotten good at is putting shapes through shape sorters. She is good with the one on the laugh and learn kitchen door. She is also good with the wood board and the different sized shapes...she gets all excited and will even clap for herself as she does it.

lunch with John David

The tuesday before John David finished school his class had a pizza party. So me and the kiddos headed up there to join the festivities. Mrs. Gottschalk got two extra chairs and put them at John David's table so his brothers could sit with him. Sammy was all excited to sit and eat with the big kids. He asked for pizza and triangle chips, and talked with the other kids at the table. By looking at him you would have thought he was part of the class...he looked like such a big boy. He even asked for chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, and ate it with a tongue depressor since we ran out of spoons. I know he is ready for kindergarten, but he will have to wait another year at home with mommy.

he'll

John David has really made a lot of progress in his reading skills this last month. He is getting better at sounding out words he does not know or recognize. A couple of weeks ago he was reading the book "if you take mouse to the movies," and that is when I realized all the rules of the english language are finally coming together in his little head. When he got to the word "he'll" he said hell...I was proud of him for sorta sounding out the word correctly...but then I had to explain contractions to him. SO now when he sees "he'll" he says "he will." John David enjoys reading the little books that Carlos and Emma play with and I'm sure his progress will be huge over the summer and in 1st grade.

The young artist

So the memorial day weekend we went to a wedding. Carlos was coloring in his little Elmo book and he was just scribbling everywhere. He was happy to have his own book and colors just like his big brothers. Then the next week at church I realized he was really coloring. Over the week he had acquired some fine motor skills and he was trying to stay within the lines. I was shocked to see how focused he was. He actually colored for about 5 minutes before changing crayons and then he went back to coloring again.

Farewell Gavin...maybe

So I have been watching my nephew since August, and he is going to start daycare in June. It has definitely been an adventure to have three little ones under and around two years old. This morning my sister mentioned that my little sister Julie agreed to watching him next week...so
I may just have my own kiddos. It all depends what my little sister does next week. I will miss Gavin, but I am looking forward to focusing on my kiddos again. Words we will miss hearing from GG: bebe (lovie), eat, milk, nap. Plus who will be telling on Nene all day long.

I want my yearbook

When John David got off the bus yesterday, I noticed he had a sticker on his shirt. It said "I want my yearbook." I waited to see if he said anything. He eventually told me that the sticker was to remind him to buy a yearbook. He then gave me the yearbook sales pitch. He was sure to mention that it would have his picture and all his friends. But then he told me that it really had pictures of everyone in the entire school. He ended by asking for $25 dollars. I told him that was a lot of money, and we already had pictures of his classmates. His final statement was that he lots of dollars in his wallet and I could use those if I didn't have enough. I told him we probably were not going to get a yearbook this year, but maybe when he got older, and that was pretty much the end of the conversation. He didn't bring it up after that.
It is amazing what kids listen to and can remember to recite. I felt like I was at the door with a salesman...he definitely knew his stuff.

Sharing

During the day there is always a fight over toys. I am a broken record telling them to share and take turns. Carlos and Gavin even have war wounds from some of their better fights. Today is slightly different. Gavin was walking around with his snack cup full of Lucky Charms, and at one point he put it down to grab a toy. Emma crawled to it as quickly as she could and started helping herself. Gavin then realized Emma had his snack cup and said mine...I was thinking here we go again...so Gavin got the snack cup from Emma and started feeding her. He then turned to me and said in his almost two year language that he was sharing with Emma. It was very cute, and I was happy that he was sharing. We will see how sharing goes the rest of the day.

Mine

Carlos' vocabulary is definitely growing. He repeats almost everything you ask him to with a big grin and smile. He can count up to three, and finds it funny to count with me when I am counting as I am waiting for someone to do something or listen. It's hard to stay focused because he breaks my attention with his charming voice and smile. Every once in a while, you get a stern "no" if he doesn't want to do it. He has definitely started using "no" more liberally, and he has also started using "mine." I am sure those are every two year old's favorite words. He is quick to tell Emma and Gavin mine when they want to play with a toy he has at the moment. Tonight I had Carlos, Emma and Sammy in the bath together. Carlos likes to play and walk around in the tub. When he was standing near Emma she was reaching up, when I heard Carlos say "mine." I'm sure you can imagine what Emma was trying to grab, and lets just say that it was not toy. It was hard to not laugh, but I didn't want it to become a game for Emma, so I gave her as serious as a look as I could at that moment. She went back to playing with her caterpillar cups, and that was the end of that. My baby boy is growing up and that makes me a tad sad, but at the same time I am happy that he knew his body is his.

Tell me what you want me to do...

you can be my master. I don't really know where this game came from, but I heard Sammy tell John David this twice. John David never told him to do anything, but Sammy would even call him master. Sammy is still in his pretend world every now and then...I just don't like him being subservient and calling his brother master. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with this.

Go Gators

This morning I packed up the kids and we went to see John David at his track and field day. Everyone had a good time munching on lots of snacks and sno cones. John David and his classmates had a good time. It was obvious which activitities he preferred over others, but he definitely had fun. The favs were hula hoops, parachute, obstacle course, and both the fish and sand relay. He will definitely be tired when he comes home from school today.

Potty Time

Carlos has been getting better about telling me when he needs a diaper change and he goes potty before his bath everynight, so I decided it was time to try some underwear. We got out the Elmo underwear and he was sooo excited to wear them. So yesterday he wore underwear for a period of two hours, and had 3 accidents. By that time I was ready for diapers and so was he. He definitely did not like the wet clothes feeling...he was quick to let me know he needed a change. This morning we were going to be out so no underwear today. We will try again another day.
Now I must also share the potty story from last night. I told him to go potty before his bath. He walked over to his little potty chair, and straddled it. Then he put both of his little hands on the wall for support, and then he went pee pee. It was really funny...he was imitating his older brothers. My baby boy is definitely growing up.

Parenting Styles

Today I took the kiddos to Target and then we headed to the playground. While at the playground I had an interesting experience...it was one of those things that makes you think.
Here is the scene...we arrive at our neighborhood park, and it was empty. I started unloading the kiddos and the toys. While we are finishing the process another car pulls up. Most of the time my clan is the majority at the playground...but not today. The second vehicle that pulls up joined us with 6 children and two adults. The approximate ages of the children were..5 year old boy, 4 year old girl, 4 year old boy, 3 year old girl, 2 year old girl, and 1 year old boy. They had the Regalado clan out numbered....this was a first at the neighborhood park. So the two adults were two men...and they each had children within the bunch of six, but not all the kids were theirs. How do I know this you ask...a talkative 5 year old from this bunch told me so...they were however all cousins. Kinda like Gavin with us.
After being there about 5 minutes a lady arrives with her one son...I would say he was about 2 years old. From the minute he got there he was not on his best behavior.Within minutes he throwing and kicking rocks and all she did was give him a look...so he kept right on doing it. He walked right to where Sammy was playing and threw rocks into Sammy's truck...Sammy was not too thrilled and told him "no, my rolly pollies are in there." However he kept doing it...mom just looked at me and said "sorry." She made no attempt to correct his behavior or explain what Sammy was telling him. Sammy had found some rolly pollies while playing and was wanting to keep them in the truck. He later showed me that one of his rolly pollies was no longer moving...and that it was the little boy's fault.
So this men had complete control of the children at all times. These two men were blowing bubbles for about 15 minutes to entertain the younger ones. They pushed the little ones on the swing, and made paper airplanes for some of the older ones. At one point the children had asked to borrow some of our shovels, and my gang and the older four from their gang were playing together along with the single child. The single child starting knocking down with a rake what all the other children were doing. Mommy who was within 2 feet said "be nice," and he continued swinging the rake around. Couple minutes later he hits one of the girls...once again mommy says "be nice." Somehow this mom leaves to go to the other side of the playground so she can chat on her cell phone. I just can't imagine what could be more important than watching your child around 10 children you don't know. During this phone time...one of the dads says to the kids no more shovels, it's time to run around and play. I almost laughed because that sounds like what I tell my kids when all the want to do is swing. All the kiddos dropped their shovels and started playing...not a single complaint. Then the dad told them to return the shovels, and they obeyed at the first request...and they were all returned with the appropriate thank you's. The oldest boy asked me if he could play with one of our trucks...I said yes...and he was so excited to see that he could scoop rocks, and dump them out by releasing a lever on the truck. He asked if he could show his dad the truck, and was grinning from ear to ear when I said yes. When he brought the truck back, he asked me where we got the truck...and if Santa had made it at his workshop. Very cute! He is also the one who was trying to tell me who was related to who in the bunch, and all of his aunts and uncles names...so I got a tad lost on the genealogy...after all I had to watch my kiddos at the same time.
My thoughts on this scenario...are kids from families with multiple children better behaved than only children? I would like to think that if John David were my only child he would just as well behaved...but would he be able to get away with more? Does the number of kids affect the parenting style? So for me with four kiddos routine is a must...or it would be hard to manage all of them. Or is it the gender? The guys never got a single moan or complaint. When it was time for their group to leave...they told their children to get their water bottles, and get in the car...and they all listened at the first command. I have to admit that i got a whine from Carlos when I took him off the swing so we could leave...but a simple refocus on a drink of water did the trick to soothe him. It also seems that JP gets less attitude than I do from the kids as well. Or is it that some parents are too concerned about being a friend to their child, and letting them express themselves at the expense of everyone else? If a child does not listen at age two, what will cause him to listen at a later age? I know this is extreme, but is this child going to diagnosed with some disorder all because he was never taught to listen or pay attention as a toddler? If a mom is willing and able to leave her child for a phone conversation in a public area...what kind of attention does this child receive within their private home. Is it good or bad that the child is so secure in a public place, surrounded by strangers and never stopped to look for his mom. He just kept doing his own thing...swinging rakes, and rocks. I can't even go to the restroom without someone following me in our own house...they would definitely track me down in public as well.
All in all I must admit that I was very impressed to see the two dads out there with their group of kiddos...having a good time.

Mommies Day

We got an early start and joined JP's family for 8 am mass in Kyle. (Raja you should be glad did was not your wake up call day...I was too tired to remember.) By the time we reached JP's parents house he said that we would barely be getting out of church. In our early start we had already gone to mass, gone out to eat breakfast, and stopped by Shipley's for donuts. Shortly after that we headed to JP's uncle's house. The kids played outside while the daddies cooked. It was great to watch all the cousins play together. When the food was ready a decision was made to move the festivities indoors...it had gotten way too hot. We then ate some steaks and potatoes, and italian cream cake for dessert...yummy!
By three we were on the move again...back to Austin. The kids napped on the way to my sister's house. We made a stop for gas and for more desserts at Central Market. When we reached my sisters' house...more cousins to play with. We had ribs, steaks and rice. Plus the desserts from Central Market. We were actually sampling desserts for Julie's graduation party, so I think that she picked a dessert. The kids had a blast playing wii and dancing to DJ Marcos' music. By the time we headed home it was after 8...but John David remembered something.
He still had his presents for school...so he gave me an envelope. Inside there was a pot holder says ""i love mommy" and a card that he decorated with a picture of him. The picture is of him from the rodeo so he is in cowboy gear...very cute. Then Sammy remembered that he forgot to make me a card...so I told him that was okay.
I am very fortunate to have a wonderful hubby, and our four little ones. Despite it being a full day, I enjoyed spending the day with family.

Good Job, JP

On saturday I went to work. Upon my return I found JP surrounded with the kiddos as he was trying to arrange my beautiful red roses in vases. John David and Sammy were quick to say "happy mother's day", and Carlos was very excited as he was talking and pointing to the flowers. The boys said that the went to the store with daddy and helped picked them. To my surprise the instructions on the flowers called for 1/2 water and 1/2 sprite...never heard of that before. My dining room and kitchen table look and smell wonderful thanks to my boys, and Emma.
Later that evening JP went upstairs to tell the boys good night. Apparently John David whispered to his daddy that the flowers were a good idea, and that he did a good job. JP and I laughed at that.

Goodbye Nelly

So on friday we took Sammy to the pediatrician to have his stiches removed. He was a excited about no more wound cleaning, but a bit anxious about haveng the stitched removed. He did fabulous, and that was over in a about one minute. His cut has comletely closed and looks like any other cut now. The doctor asked if he wanted a band-aid and was very excited to receive a snoopy one. When he got him and looked in the mirror he said...look at all my snoopys. The snoopy band aid was remove don friday night, and he has been without one since. He has been good about wearing a cap, and about letting me put sunscreen on his face.

Be careful in the shower

So today was a fun filled day with a church picnic, and swimming at my brother's house. We came home to take showers and baths so we could go to bed. As I was putting Emma and Carlos in the bath, John David comes to tell me that Sammy fell. SO I get John David to stay with the babies. Go and check on Sammy and see that he has a cut on his cheek...looked deeper than a traditional cut, so my hunch was that it would need stitches. I called our friend Rusty who is a PA...he says send me some pics and I'll give you a call back. I tell John David and Sammy to get their jammies on, while I finish bathing the babies. Put the babies down for bed and then get a call back from Rusty. He said to take him in. I already had Mama Schneider on alert...so she comes over to have an adult in the house while I take Sammy to the ER. Rusty's concern was whether Seton Southwest would do the stiches or if I would have to go the children's hospital. Well let me tell you that Seton was awesome. The nurse made sure to explain everything to Sammy and let him touch some items to get him comfortable in his new environment. They used a topical numbing cream...so it took longer than lidocaine to kick in, but it didn't hurt or sting him. The only needle used was the one used to apply two stitches after having the cream on for an hour. We were back home in around two hours. Sammy was great while we waited and he lots of questions, but never cried...not even when he first fell. On the way home we stopped to purchase some bandaids and neosporin. In order he picked out Spiderman, Trans Formers, and Scooby Doo. We need to change out his bandaid twice a day...so we needed to stock up.
Downside of this is obviously minimal water to his wound...of course this comes after I mentioned to the boys that we could get the waterslide out this week....I guess maybe next week. Then we need to limit his sun exposure the next four months to minimize scarring...great summer is just about to start. I guess we will have to let him pick out a cool hat or cap for him to wear.
I must say that Sammy was awesome throughout all of this, and I am very proud of him! For example at the hospital he saw some cookies in the vending machine., and he asked if we could get them for John David. I told him we already had some of those at home, and he said John David likes those and that way he would have more when he runs out. He is such a sweet guy...thinking of others during his moment.

big brothers do, little brother do too

I'm sure I have written about this phenomenom before, but it always amazes me how much Carlos wants to big like his big brothers. The big boys got quad wheel skates for Easter...and they ask to skate almost everyday. Unfortunately we don't get to skate everyday...but we are working on it. I will post a video from this weekend tomorrow. Sorry back to my point...as soon as Carlos sees the skates he goes and sits down and takes off his shoes, and says what sounds like his version of the word skate. When I tell him they don't make them his size...he crosses his arms, pouts and gets mad and then doesn't want his shoes back on.
Carlos vocabulary is definitely increasing...and he repeats almost everything his brothers say...so Sammy needs to watch his language...or Carlos will have "what the heck" as his first phrase.

April Showers

This month John David has developed a love for taking showers...which is great for me. He will actually go up turn on the shower, shampoo and scrub all by himself. He has definitely grown into a big boy. Tonight JP thought he was upstairs in the bathroom, and a few minutes later when he checked on him, he was already getting out of the shower. He is so self sufficient, which is great...one less to worry about when it comes to baths. Sammy will also shower with John David, but still needs a little assistance. I guess time will only tell what his next big boy thing will be.

the quiet one...yeah right

We always get told that Emma is so quiet. Even last week one of JP's cousins if she ever talked, because she had never heard her. She even asked me to record her, because she didn't believe us. Emma has everyone fooled except for us. Just ask her dad. He was home sick today, and trying to sleep, and he said the only thing he could hear was Emma screaming and talking. She might be the little one, but she is quick to remind you she is here, and playing. She also lets you know if she disapproves of your actions. For example if one of her brothers takes her toy away she screams until she gets it back, if you pick her up and she wants to be down she squirms and screams until you put her back down. JP and I have been discussing that she is definitely going to give us a good run.

My mistake

So John David is no longer saying what the heck...but Sammy has taken over that department. I caught him twice today. When I brought it to his attention...he very politely said "my mistake, I meant to say what do you mean?" I had to hold back the laughter since I was in disciplining mode...but just add Sammy's voice to that and who wouldn't laugh at a four year old saying that. I'm sure if he wasn't my kid I would have been laughing my head off.

JP is famous!

Hey everyone....did you know that my hubby was on TV this morning...I know it was but local but hey it is a start. If you click on the link you can actually see the story that ran this morning.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/good_day/042809_Program_Encourages_UT_Students

Emma is one year old!

It is hard to believe that a year has one gone by since we were blessed with our little girl. She has definitely brought a lot more love to our little family. Her big brothers definitely watch our for her and try to help her out. She is growing, but is still a petite little girl...she even fits in her doll pram. She is definitely exploring her surrondings and learning to get around the house crawling everywhere. She tries to pull up, but only gets up on her knees on her own. We have dropped her crib mattress, and look forward to much more fun with her! Take a look at her birthday pictures in the April album.

It's Kinder Rodeo time!

On friday John David had a rodeo at his school. Parents got to go watch the Hoe Down....or in other words we got to see them sing and dance. It was very cute and hillarous to see 20 kids trying to sing and dance in a circle. Most of them were all into it and very excited, others were just standing around. John David was very excited...his big higlight was wearing his boots, hat, vest and scarf. Here is a clip I took at home.

Look at Emma go

Emma finally discovered how to crawl yesterday evening. She is not crawling all the time yet, but is willing to crawl to get to her favorite toys. Take a look at her video. Sorry for the quick turn at the begining, but that was my bad choice of direction.

Cowboy in trainig

John David's school has a kindergarten rodeo in April. He is learning all about Texas, and even some songs he sings around the house. I have heard him sing "deep in the heart of Texas", and he even knows the chicken dance. Very cute to see him concentrate on the different motions, and still have fun. The most exciting thing so far has to be the boots and cowboy hat. I bought a pair of boots online , and they arrived today...so he is wearing those around the house. They are little, cute and pointey. He even asked me about the heel...they are a tad big, but he will definitely get some good use out of them. He wore them anytime he got a chance today. When we were little my abuelito Pepe bought my brother a cowboy hat. My mom gave me that hat last night, so John David was also very eager to wear the hat today as well. Make sure to check out the March pictures...you don't want to miss John David in his cowboy gear with his scooby doo pj's.

Can we get that?

Sammy is definitely paying more attention to things. The other he was watching the disney channel and ask me if we could buy something he saw on an infomercial. It was some kind of toothpaste dispenser. I ask what for, and he almost recited back to me the whole commercial. It was quite funny to see his little brain thinking and discovering that this was a good product for our house. Sammy still enjoys being the silly one, and loves to laugh and try two make people laugh. He is a great helper and and knows that it is best to remain impartial. When JP and I ask him who is his favorite...he says both of us.
A couple of weeks ago he even told me that Emma's favorite color is pink. I asked how he knew, and he said that all girls like pink. I said what about purple, and he said "silly mommy, purple is a boy color"...I had to hold in the laughter.

Carlos as a two year old

Over the last two months Carlos has definitely changed. Not only has he grown physically, but his vocabulary is also increasing rapidly. He will definitely repeat things, and knows quite a bit of words now. He is also developing his emotional self. He screams when he doesn't like something, and has no problem telling you what he wants. He is still a cutie, even when he is giving me two year old attitude. We will definitely see Carlos come out of his shell more as this year goes by...look forward to many more laughs.

Emma...11 months.

SO here is a quick update on Emma as an eleven month old. She enjoys screaming for fun and for attention. She has discovered she likes Player milkshakes, sherbet, and catfish at the Manchaca Firehall. She is still scooting on her bottom, but is now spending more time on her tummy, willingly. As a result she slithers around on her belly, but still in backwards motion...every once in a while she is rocking on all fours.
It is hard to believe that we are planning her first birthday party already. On one hand I'm excited about all the fun birthday things, but then I remember that she is suppose to be our baby...but she is growing very quickly, and that is bittersweet.

I just said that...

On the way home from school John David asked Sammy about his friends in Africa. Sammy said that he doesn't have any friends in Africa. Then John David asked about his house...and Sammy said "I don't have a house, because I live with you." John David then questioned to him as to what happened, and Sammy said "I just said that." His older brother needed more clarity, and asked so you made it up, and the middle brother replied "yeah, of course." I know all of you are sad to hear that there will be no more stories about Sammy and all of his friends in Africa. I am sure he will come up with something else for me to blog about.

Personal Space

AS adults we know exactly what that is. However kids don't always know and understand. This sunday at religious ed Carlos was in awe of a little girl's hairdo. He was as close as he could get without touching, and just wanted to see and hear the little beads move everytime this little girl moved her head. JP told him to give her some space, but he was just so in awe and would not back away. How could a two year resist looking at over 100 colorful beads?

I don't think so

Sammy and John David watched Aladdin a couple of weeks ago. Apparently some lines stuck in Sammy's head. Every once in awhile he repeats some of the Genie's lines. He quotes the lines from when Aladdin questioned the Genie's power about getting them out of the cave. I don't know the whole line...but it is the part where the Genie says "did you rub my lamp, did you bring me here, now you are getting your wishes." The genie somehow incorporates "I don't think so" in that line, but I am not sure where it goes. SAmmy gets the biggest grin and laugh when he says the lines, so it hard to understand him.

Student Led Conference

Yesterday we had a conference at John David's school. When we got to his class, there was a list of activities we had to complete with him. JP and I worked our way through the list. It was great to see him count by 5's and 10's, and to read books in his class. He also sorted rocks, and talked about all his centers. He is a bit more quiet and reserved at school than he is at home. JP and I enjoyed spending those 45 minutes with him in his class, and seeing how much he had learned.

Elmo loves cookies

Carlos got a stuffed Elmo from his grandma for Valentine's. He makes sure to take Elmo with him everywhere he goes. Elmo naps and sleeps with him, and goes to the table to eat with him as well. Yesterday he brought Elmo to me and asked for a napkin. Apparently Elmo got some crumbs in his mouth because Carlos was sharing his cookie with him. Then last night when I told Carlos it was bedtime he said no..but then I told him it was Elmo's time to go to bed, and he could go to sleep with Elmo, then he said..ahaa. It was cute to see him try to hold both his lovey and Elmo plus suck his thumb.

Date with the hubby

Once again my hubby rocked today. After two activities with the kiddos he made arrangements for us to have an evening out by ourselves. Grandma and Grandpa were nice enough to watch the kiddos. This was all a surprise to me, so it was great. We ate dinner at TLC, then we went to play mini-golf, and finished the night with frozen custard from Sandy's. I know some of you are probably thinking this was lame...but like I told JP, it doesn't matter what we do, the fact that he organized this to surprise me, and we got to spend time together is what matters most. I really enjoyed the time to talk to my hubby, and have some fun just the two of us.

San Antonio Zoo

Today we drove to San Antonio on a family field trip to the Zoo. The boys all had a blast, including Gavin. This was Emma's first trip to the zoo and she enjoyed it. This may have been Gavin's frist trip to the zoo as well. There were many other firsts...JP wore the Baby Bjorn and carried Emma for awhile, and double stroller temporarily held all four boys. I am sure we were quite a site with five kiddos, but for the most part everyone was great. The kids got to see lots of active animals and enjoyed all the snacks and lunch at the zoo. We were actually surprised that Sammy and John David did not fall asleep on the way home, but all three babies fell asleep. We look forward to many more zoo trips, since we renewed our membership today, and we know that the boys loved it.

Elmo's Green Thumb

On thursday my mom watched Emma so we could take the boys to see Elmo. We ate dinner at Gatti's and then drove to the Erwin Center for our show. This was Carlos' first trip to the show, and he was pretty mellow while he watched and sucked his thumb. John David and Sammy had a blast singing, dancing, and laughwing with Elamo and the gang. Posted new pictures.

Purses...for boys

This week Carlos and Gavin have found a new toy. They love to walk around holding on to some small purses from my closet. They get such a kick putting things in them, and carrying them on their shoulders. Don't think of taking them away when they are playing with them...and they each have their designated purse, they do not interchange. Make sure to look at the pictures to see their big smiles.

Superstar of the week

John Davis is the Superstar of the Week this week in his Kindergarten class. It all started with us having to make a poster for him to share with his friends. Then a parent goes in and reads a book to the class. Despite JP's fabulous story voices, he wanted his mommy. Last night he picked his book, and we packed it in his backpack.
This morning he was up early on his own, and he laid down in bed for me. He was sooo excited about today. He kept telling me that today was a special day. As he was getting ready to leave he asked if I could eat lunch with him. I told him it all depended at what time Abuelita arrived to watch the babies. As soon as my mom arrived I was out the door with Sammy. By the time we got to the cafeteria he was done eating. He was excited to see me, and came right to me. Then as he sat back down, one of his classmates said I told you your mom would come. It was apparent that he had been waiting for his mommy.
We then went to his classroom and everyone sat down in their places. John David told Sammy to sit next to him. It was very cute to see them together. After I was done...his classmates had some questions and comments to share.
After we left I was feeling guilty for not getting there early enough to eat with him. Later in the afternoon that feeling went away. As soon as I picked him up from school he thanked me for going to his school today, in a very sweet voice. He said that it was very nice of me to go.

knock knock jokes

Sammy has been trying to make his own jokes. However they don't really make sense, but it is funny to see him laugh at his own jokes. John David will try to make his own as well, but Sammy is the one that just keeps going.
He has been a great little trooper this week. He has an infection on his right thumb and his been great about taking his not so great tasting medicine. He has also let me soak his finger and apply his antibiotic cream three times a day. His finger has gotten significantly better, and despite what was happening with his finger, he was still in his usual easy going Sammy mood.

100th day of Kindergarten

Thursday was John David's 100th day of school. He was sooo excited about going to school. On wednesday he decorated a crown to wear for the 100th day. Then on wednesday after school we got his 100 sponges ready to take to school the next day. That night I was asking him what shirt he was going to wear for his 100th day of school. He told me that he did not have a shirt with a 100. I told him he could wear any shirt and and he had plenty of 100 things at school. He said I could make him a shirt. So needless to say I ended up making him a shirt.
Thursday he wore the shirt and JP said he showed the shirt his teacher right away. I added a picture of him with his teacher and some of his classmates so check that out. Thursday night he wanted to keep the crown in his room. First of all he put a sticker on each one of his stuffed animals and then we put it on the bear so it would stay safe. When I checked on him an hour later, I found him asleep with his head propped up on his arm with part of his crown on his head. The other part of the crown was under his head. When he asked about his crown today I told him we would have to fix it.

Gloworm

Emma got a gloworm from her grandma a week ago. From the beginning Carlos took a liking to it, and held the package on the way home. Most of the week the gloworm hung out downstairs in the livingroom. Tonight as we were getting ready to go upstairs to put him and Emma to bed I gave Emma the gloworm. JP was carrying Carlos and he wanted the gloworm. So we gave it to him, then when we got to the room, he didn't want to let it go. He was so attached to the gloworm that he didn't even want his lovey. So we let him sleep with it, and I could hear it for about 10 minutes through the monitor. I think we are gonna going to have to get a gloworm of his own.

10 months

It's hard to believe that Emma is 10 months today. She is growing up so quick...make sure to look at the updated pictures. She isn't crawling yet, but she uses her little bottom to move around to reach for her toys. She has also learned how to scream...it is quite funny. If I don't pick her up, she will raise her arms and scream. Emma is a great eater. She definitely likes to eat whatever she sees her brothers eating. She will try anything.
I am getting excited about getting her party together!

Emma waves

Laura and Micael came over for dinner tonight. When I was getting ready to take Emma and Carlos upstairs to get them ready for bed, Laura was waving bye. Emma started moving her arm, and Laura said she was waving. I told her to say "bye" and "adios" and both times she also waved her little arm. So I think she definitely knew what she was doing. I guess we will try again tomorrow to confirm if she really knew.

mammoth crocs and a diaper

Last night Carlos slept in his fleece jammies with footsies. This morning shortly after he got up he started unzipping his pajamas part of the way. I would zip it up, and eventually he would unzip it again. When my sister arrived with Gavin he had it unzipped all the way to his waist. I must admit that he looked quite funny, and cute. He also kept trying to put on his mammoth crocs with his pajamas, but they don't fit with the footsies. I told him to put on Sammy's since they are bigger but for some reason today he wanted his own. At one point this morning I took off part of his pajamas so I could change his diaper, and he got up and took off the rest of his pajamas. He walked away and put on his crocs. After that he was a happy camper walking around in his crocs and his diaper. When I would call him he would just laugh and wouldn't come too close. He knew I would put clothes on him. I eventually had to grab him to get some clothes on him.

skins vs shirts

Last week when my sister came to pick Gavin, the 3 older boys decided to play catch or monkey in the middle. Somehow Carlos started playing with Ethan, so they ended up being kinda like a team and playing against John David and Sammy. All of a sudden Carlos pulled his shirt up and over his head, but it was still on around his arms. He thought it was funny and kept laughing and playing with the older boys. My sister asked if he always did that...I told her that was the first time he had taken his shirt off. I told my sister that he was playing on the skins team...and that became the joke because then the older boys wanted to take off their shirts. Who know that the two year old would be the trendsetter.

I'm glad you told me to go to soccer.

I forgot to mention that on Tuesaday, John David started a soccer clinic at his school. It will be for the next five tuesdays after school for an hour. The clinic is to teach skills. He did a similar clinic with basketball in November, and he enjoyed it. At the end of basketball the coach mentioned that there would be a soccer clinic in the spring. John David said he wanted to do it. On Monday night John David said he didn't want to do it. I knew he would enjoy it, so I registered him anyways.
When I picked him up on Tuesday, he was soo excited after the clinic. He said "I'm glad you told me to go to soccer." I asked him why and he told me that he got a medal for being a good listener, and that his friend Andrew was there. Andrew is in his class, and when he did the basketball there was no one from his class, so I know that he is excited to have someone he knows there with him.

I'm coming home in that car tomorrow.

When John David came home and saw his carseat in the dining room, he asked why his carseat was out. I explained that I had to replace the harness. He said that I had to get it back in the car today. I asked why and he replied (don't forget to add the John David attitude when you read this), "because I am coming home in that car tomorrow, in my carseat." I said "yes, I know. the carseats will back in the car by the time I pick you up from school.

No more snack in the car

So two years ago, when we bought the Tahoe, I had a rule of no snacks in the car. Some of you might hink this is harsh, but we rarely drive in traffic, and living in Austin our commute time averages 15 minutes. The kids can wait until we reach our destination to snack or eat, but really what sane person would drive four kids anywhere during a meal time. Over time I have become more lenient, and realized that I have made too many exceptions, so the rule is back.
How do I know that made too many exceptions...as my friend Tammy put it, I probably had enough food under my seats for a family of four.
I needed to replace the harnesses on Sammy's and John David's carseats so I was going to have to remove two out four carseats. Than once I got outside I was motivated by the 70 degree weather this afternoon to take out all the seats and vaccum the inside of the Tahoe. It was pretty gross to find old crumbled down cheerios and goldfish, plus the raisins that could have passed as pebbles. Can't forget to mention that we apparently had a pet spider under one of the seats. Sammy helped me clean everything out, Gavin was just chilling, and for the first time Carlos was scared by the vaccum in the garage. I told Sammy the new rule as we were cleaning and explained why. As soon as John David got home, Sammy shared the new rule with John David. not much else was said about the new rule, I guess we will wait and see what happens next time we are in the car.

I've always wanted to do that

Sammy was finishing his lunch, as I was feeding Emma. When I was finished with her food her in her bowl, she made it known that she was not full. Sammy turned to me and said, "she can have my last nugget, I'm really good at sharing." I asked if he was sure, and he said "it's okay, I've always wanted to do that." As soon as I cut the nugget and place it on Emma's tray she was eating right away. She also made sure to smile at her brother in appreciation for her yummy nugget.
This confirms that Sammy is so kind-hearted and giving. He will give anything to anyone, even his last piece of candy. I hope he continues to be this way, but at the same time I hope that he doesn't get taken advantage of.

I have astronaut friends

This morning I took Sammy and John David to the dentist. On the way there, John David started saying that he knew there were different countries, but we all lived on earth and only astronauts can live in space. Sammy then said he had some friends that were astronauts that lived in Africa with his other friends. I asked him if they lived in space, and he said no.
John David then started laughing and said that he was making it all up because astronauts don't live in Africa. I told him that astronauts are not in space all the time, and that they could live in Africa. He then said that Sammy doesn't have any friends, and he pretends. I told him it was okay for him to pretend. Just like sometimes he says something and then says "I tricked you." Curious to hear Sammy's answer I then asked him to name some of his friends. He said John David was his friend...and John David got a big chuckle and said "no, I am your brother." I told John David that he could be his brother and friend. Sammy then said Ethan was friend. Once again John David chuckled and said "no, he is your cousin." I reminded John David that his cousin could be his friend too.
It looks like Sammy's friends are back for another round.

you're not bigger than Jesus

Raja joined us for dinner today, since his wife is in Houston. John David asked him to read a book, "When I Get Bigger." Raja said he was the biggest. John David and Sammy kept going through their order of who is the biggest. When Raja repeated he was the biggest...John David was quick to respond "you're not bigger than Jesus." Sammy then chimed in and repeated the same.

The hubby rocked again today

Today was suppose to be a busy afternoon, since Emma and Carlos both had 9 month and 2 yr well checks respectively. I had the car loaded and ready to go, but when I turned the ignition the Tahoe was not turning on. My first call was to call JP and tell him he would have to pick up John David at school, and then come home so one of us could take the babies, Emma and Carlos, to their appointment. When he got home I was all ready to go, and he volunteered to take them. I asked if he was sure, because I wasn't sure if shots would be involved or not. He said that was fine, so I got the easier task and stayed home with John David and Sammy.
My dad came over with a technician and fixed the Tahoe. We are hoping that the problem was just a loose connection, because if not we will need to replace the battery. I then started cooking dinner for my hubby. I made some spaghetti with tomato sauce, and then breaded some chicken breasts in order to have something similar to a chicken parmesan. By the time he got back home, the dinner was ready and we got to share a warm meal together. I asked him how it was, and said it was okay. His only complaint was the layers of clothes on my kids. I told him it was only in the 40's today, of course they are going to be layered.

SO for those of y'all waiting here are the stats from their visit:
Emma's hefty 15 pounds and 10 ounces put her in the 5% for weight. She grew approx. three inches to put her in 10% at 26 inches long.
Carlos was also helping round out the bottom of the curve as well. He weighed in at 25 pounds and 11 ounces to land in the 10%. His is 31.75 inches tall, and that puts him in the 3%.

the chupacabra might come

Sammy watched a Scooby Doo movie yesterday...they went down to Veracruz, Mexico to vacation. Of course the meddling kids had to solve the mystery of the chupacabra. During the day Sammy had not said anything about the episode, but once it was time to go to bed...Sammy told me the chupacabra might come, with almost perfect pronunciation. JP asked him what that was and he responded that it was a big scary monster. I was afraid that it might keep him up, but it didn't. I guess he was just stalling to keep from going to bed.

My hubby rocks!

most of my posts are about my kiddos...but I have them thanks to my hubby. so this one will be be about my hubby. earlier this week I told my husband I thought I was getting sick, because I felt achy and had a sore throat. he was all there for me and let me sleep, and he got up with Emma the times she needed help to fall back asleep. it was great to get two nights of solid sleep and I feel much better. I truly appreciate that because i know he has to go and function at 100% at his office the next day.
as you all know I talk a lot, and my husband will tell you that I tell him a lot of things. so one of the many other things I also told my husband this week was that I wanted to try the breadbowl and cheese broccoli soup from Panera. Today when he came home from work he brought it to me. I was so excited and surprised. I was planning to make grilled chicken breast and some pasta with them, however my husband didn't think that was exciting enough. He told me not to worry about cooking and he would figure it out. I had asked to stop by Costco and pick up somethings on the way home. That is when he picked up my soup and it was sooo yummy! He was so nice and thoughtful, especially since he came home and made himself some chicken nuggets for dinner.
that is the 2nd wonderful thing my hubby did for me...I am so lucky.

Pros of being a stay at home mommy

So not all days are like this...but today I realized the true benefits of staying at home with my kids.
This morning I was awakened by John David walking into our bedroom, and saying I'm ready to get dressed. Then after he got dressed he asked if he could lay in bed with me for a while...I said "two minutes." Being at home means I am no in hurry except to get going except to get him out the door in time. Then we went downstairs so I could get him breakfast and pack his lunch. Wave at him good-bye and time to get myself ready. Then on my way up to shower I hear that Carlos and Emma are awake. I guess my shower we will wait until nap time...and I guess I am lounging in pj pants and t-shirt until then. How many people can just lounge around and play until lunchtime?
After I feed the kids lunch, I put Emma, Carlos, and Gavin down for a nap. Then I let Sammy play V.Smile so I can shower and get into clothes. I will have to go outside to get John David from the bus top so I need to get out of the pj pants. Then I am ready for lunch...so I decide to make myself breakfast for lunch. Great I get to have refried beans with scramble eggs in a corn tortilla.
Then as the kids are napping I download pictures from the camera as Sammy looks on from my lap, and send out a quick email. So far the day is great. All I have done today is play and read to my kids. I did do the dishes, but besides that all my attention has been on the kids. I still don't know what I'm serving for dinner, but I've got another hour or so before I have to figure that one out.

Two cute

Carlos is two years old today. He had a fabulous day, and went strong without a nap. Emma also joined in the no nap festivity. He was actually opening his presents on his own, so we had to keep the older brothers back, so he could have some fun. It was cute to see his reactions to his presents. I think it was very obvious which ones were his favs. I think that the vaccuum cleaner and the wood blocks were at the top of the list.
It's hard to believe that our baby boy is already two. He is still not using words to communicate, but he makes himself understood. I am sure this year will hold a lot more fun and excitement.

Emma is 9 months

Emma is officially nine months as of yesterday. She is very vocal and isn't afraid to tell you what she wants. She is still not crawling, and would rather lay on her back than her belly. It doesn't matter what I put in front of her, she will just roll over to her back. I'm in no hurry for her to be mobile. I enjoy sitting her on the floor, and having her stay there. In regards to teeth...she has the second front bottom on the way out. The first one is still not all the way out, but she can still bite down pretty hard with her little teeth now...just ask her daddy.

No one told me, my friends didn't tell me

For the past two days Sammy has had a scab on his face, a sign of brotherly love from Carlos. Tonight as he was getting in the tub, I noticed that it was red. I asked him if he scratched himself, he said "no, Carlos did remember?" Then I told him it was red and it was not like that before. He then tells me that there was something stuck on his face so he pulled it off. I told him that he pulled off the scab, which then lead me to explain that the scab helps heal his face, and then I had to define heal. At the end of all the explanations, and definitions he told me "no one told me, my friends didn't tell me. I didn't know."
As far as I can remember this is the first time Sammy's friends didn't know something...they usually know everything. His friends are taking very realistic personas.

Growing up too fast

Tonight as we were getting the kids ready for bed...Emma decided to show off her new skill. She can hold her own bottle. She started with two hands, and towards the end she was holding it with only hand, and turning around to look at her big brothers. She is definitley growing up quickly, and pretty soon she will be crawling, walking and talking. She is not keeping her side of the deal that she is suppose to be my baby.

Welcome Home

Today I went to work because I was called to fill in for a sick coworker. I had not planned to work, so the kids were not aware of the change of plans until breakfast this morning.
I told Emma bye and told her to be good for daddy. John David and Sammy told me their usual good byes, and Carlos said bye very enthusiastically then followed me to the door as if he was leaving with me, so I had to leave him at door in a not so happy mood.
When I came home from work, Carlos was the first one to greet me at the door as I walked in. He was running with Sammy's crocs on the wrong feet and the biggest smile on his face as he screamed in excitement. John David and Sammy said a quick hello, but went right back to what they were doing. Emma who was not so aware of my leaving was defintely aware of my return. She was whining in the high chair, and settled down as soon as I got her out. She started kicking her little feet and flailing her little arms in excitement.
These tender actions from my little ones let me know that they love me and that I was missed during the day. It feels great to come home and be welcomed with so much love and excitement. JP was also glad to see me after a full day with the four kids. He even went to get a haircut for himself, and the two older boys. I am truly blessed to have a wonderful husband that is able and willing to take of our kiddos the times that I do work!

Board Games

The boys have been into games the last two weeks. So far they have played a Scooby Doo version of Trouble, and Horton Hears a Who. They have a couple more still new in boxes...and I'm sure they are looking forward to opening them. Their competitive nature really comes out. They are still trying to make sure they both follow the rules, and it is cute seeing them enforcing the rules on each other. Most of all they enjoy playing the games with their daddy. It is great to see them enjoy this fun time with their dad.
Carlos is also wanting to take a part, but all he really wants is to take the game pieces, and ends up giving his brothers a lot of grief. I think he just wants to be one of the big boys.

Gingerbread house by Tammy

My friend Tammy was nice enough to come over and make a gingerbread house with the boys. She was also nice enough to write a blog entry for me on Dec. 23rd, but I had not had a chance to post. Here is her blog.

Aida has been busy. I think we can all give her that. Four kids alone might do it. But 4 kids, 2 of them sick, the other two stir crazy as can be, would keep anyone from blogging for a while. Allow me to serve as the day's guest blogger.

Last week, I had the privilege of helping the Regalado clan put together their first, but not last I am told, gingerbread house. The two older boys were very patient as they helped hold the cookies together and wait for the house to dry. Carlos was very patient as he snuck onto the kitchen chair to sample the goods. By evening's end, he was the official taster of all things sugary. John David and Sammy did quite a nice job on their house. Sammy was very meticulous and told me all the places that I had forgotten to put icing. When all was said and done, there was not a lick of gingerbread to be seen through all the gumdrops, reindeer corn, licorice, red hots, hot tamales.....The house was supposed to remain uneaten until Christmas, but I heard last night that that rule had been broken. Maybe THAT'S why Aida is so busy: Three boys on sugar highs running around the house!

firsts..so many

Emma has had many firsts. She had turkey, and brocoli rice for thanksgiving. She had her first visit with Santa. She had her first Christmas, is even getting her first tooth.
For Christmas she was all about putting wrappers, and boxes in her mouth. She really enjoyed the excitement, and her brothers opening all the presents so she could eat the paper. She also got her first purse. It is pink satin with sequin, and loves to put the strap in her mouth. Even Emma got two pairs of cute little girl crocs..hopefully the will fit this spring or summer...for those of you that don't know she has tiny feet.
On new years eve she even had sherbet with her brothers...she loved it. But you know what she loved even more...dutch chocolate ice cream. I got some good pictures, so I will update soon.

Baby boy

Carlos is getting ready to turn two. He is great and telling you what he wants and doesn't want. He points and tells you what he wants, and pushes away what he doesn't want. He is trying to do everything by himself...but everyone once in a while he will let you help. He loves to wear his crocs, and can put them by himself. He is also quick to follow his big brothers and do whatever they are doing. He has this funny walk when he is trying to keep up with his brothers...he doesn't quite have the running down, so his fast walk is really cute.
He is a great eater, and then continues to eat off everyone's plate. The only thing I can say that he doesn't like is avocado. He will try anything...he even tried tortillas and salsa a couple of weeks ago. He dipped about three times before he stopped.

What do you mean

This is Sammy's new phrase. He uses the phrase when he wants an explanation or when he doesn't get what he wants. He is easy going as usual...but everyone once in a while he wants to do what he wants, and doesn't want to give in to pressure from John David or anyone else. He is definitely adjusting to being a middle child.
At Christmas he also enjoyed his crocs, but his favorite present was his Power Ranger undies. He was all grins to receive a last minute request from his grandma. I think this is just another way to be like his big brother.

That's awesome

This is one of John David's new phrases. He is allowed to say this one as much as he wants. The big "no no" of the moment is "shut up." He even told his grandma today that she is not suppose to say that. He has enjoyed being home from school, but I think he is ready to go back.
He enjoyed opening all of his presents at Christmas and helping his younger siblings as well. He says his favorite present is his Scooby Doo video. In actuality the presents that got his best reaction was the pair of crocs he received from two his aunts. He got mammoth crocs for now, and mickey crocs for the warmer months. He just had the biggest smile, and went into his silly laugh both times. Both pairs have been worn several times already.

Happy New Year

Ok...so I am finally updating my blog. My only resolution for this year is to update my blog more regularly. Ideally I would like to update everyday but don't know if that will happen so I will do my best. I will do an entry for each one of the kiddos as a quick update.