Soccer

Gabby joined soccer this year. She was very impressed with the skill of the girls that made the A team. She did not make A team but made the B team. Gabby has really enjoyed playing soccer. She has mostly played goalie. Last week I got a compliment from another mother about how good she played.

Spring fun!

I love blowing bubbles. It is so relaxing for me. I know it sounds crazy but for me it brings peace and tranquility. I love to watch them float through the air and see how long they will last on a blade of grass before they pop! On this my kids and my nieces enjoyed them too.

Easter

We had our annual Easter Egg hunt this year. The weather was beautiful. We could not have asked for better weather. Jesus decided that he did not want to participate in the hunt this year. He would rather help me and wanted to earn some computer time. LOL So he hid the eggs and watched while the rest of the kids hunted! Roly gave him all his candy so he didn't miss out on much! Roly came out the big winner and found both the golden and silver eggs! Once again Gabby came away with a few pennies. Her dad felt sad for her so he gave her a few dollars to make her feel better. We also colored eggs. My kids so still love to do this, and I am glad because I still enjoy it too! We did not do baskets this year but the kids each got a bottle of their favorite soda.

Inlaws leaving

Well one of my sister in laws and her family are returning back to Mexico. I have a lot of mixed emotions about it. I will be sad to see them go but wish them the best as they return home. I know the kids will miss them even if they don't say it. Although one of them said today that he did not want to be there when they left because it would be to sad.... hmmm that coming from the mouth of the one who likes to fight with his cousin all the time. Glad to see that he cares. Genaro will miss his sister, they were always close growing up and then also his brother in law who on many occasions became his partner in crime! They didn't get themselves into to much trouble. LOL
Via con Dios!

Watch out here I come!

Finally am enjoying the new suburban. I can see how my hubby likes it and all of it's power! I finally was able to get my drivers licsense back and am so happy. Now if I feel like the walls are closing in I can just jump in the suburban and drive until I feel like stopping!

Kids Speak

The family is watching discovery health channel 'I didn't know I was pregnant'

Alex: "Mom, look that baby has a tail!"

A Sight to Behold

Squaw Creek

I love being out in nature. Going on walks through the meadows, walking by the river or creeks, through the mountains, anywhere that is out and you can observe some of God's greatest creations. It brings such peace to me, and I find it so very tranquil to be out amongst it. We saw today some of the magnificence of these creations. It was truly a sight to behold. Squaw Creek Missouri is the home to spring and fall migration of snow geese, ducks, bald eagles and other water fowl. We observed bald eagles, muskrats, ducks (including mallards) snow geese, pelicans (which they say are rare to see here) swans, a multitude of other birds which I know not their names and one lone great blue heron. When we first entered the park we were a little disappointed because the week before on our way home from Kansas City we had literally seen 1000's (1.2 million according to the count) of geese in the sky, and we started out seeing very little. As we drove around the auto tour loop we were not disappointed when we came across the pelicans and then the bald eagles, although we only saw two of those. As we came around the bend to Eagle Pool you could see and hear the 1000's of snow geese that were sitting in the water. It was so incredible to see and so noisy! At one point we were about at the half way point of the pool and the multitude of geese just lifted off the water and swirled around a bit and then sat back down. It was awesome. You see it on the wildlife channels on tv and it looks magnificent there but to see it in person is something totally different. you are left speechless. I think that we will make this a yearly trip in the spring and fall to see this spectacular event.

IMPOSTOR

Here we are driving down I29 this afternoon on our way to Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge to see the migration of the snow greese and other birds that stop over in the spring. One of these is the magnificant bald eagle. We get to right between mile marker, I would say, 19 and 21 and my dear hubby say "oh man look at the eagle." Of course we all turn and there sitting on the fence post is a beautiful bald eagle. I raced to get the camera out and just about had it when I realized that this magnificant beast was a piece of wood! Oh some one played a cruel joke. It truely looked so beautiful and I could not believe it was right there..... Thus the joke was on me and the hubby had a good laugh for a mile or so down the road! Beware I29 going south between mile marker 19 adn 20, there sits the Imposter, quietly, majesticaly on the fence post!

The other two!

Having fun with a photo program!!

This program came with the camera my niece got for her birthday. We sure had fun using it. Took us awhile to figure it out and there are still things on it that we don't know how to use but give the kids time and they will figure it out!

Kansas City Getaway

If you look real hard on the right side you can see the birds!


At the park, with Tia Vicky and Tio Guerrero, finding shells! Go figure in KC?


KC watertower, this is right by the Royals stadium and Cabelas and Great Wolf Lodge


Carmen and Flor hanging in the hot tub. It was nice and not to hot!


Jesus with Edwardo, his 3rd cousin.


Last weekend we hopped in the suburban and headed to KC to visit Genaro's cousin that he had not seen in 6 years. It was nice, warm and toasty! We did not plan on the weather being so nice and so we all were sweating a bit. The kids and I cooled off a bit in the pool at the hotel though. Saturday we went to a state park and let the kids run before getting back in the car and heading home. On the way home right outside St. Joe Missouri, in a place called Mound City, there were 1000's of geese. The sky looked like an etch-a-sketch. The kids kept calling out the shapes they were making. It was incredible to watch. In one field a different group of birds lifted off and made a black cloud that moved up and down and swirled. Such an incredible sight of nature. I think that was my favorite part of the trip! Looks like a weekend trip to Squaw Creek Wildlife Refuge to see this spectacular again. On their website it said that their was a 1.2 million snow geese count and 50,000 duck count that weekend that we passed through. Again incredible!

Memories

I have been thinking about so many memories from my childhood lately. A great part in thanks to 'facebook' and all the wonderful people that I have lost contact with that I am finding again. How wonderful is that! One of the things I have thought about is the fun we would have when we went to Utah. We would stay with our "family" the Porter's. They have six kids. The oldest two are just days younger than my older brother and myself and then the other 4 fall nicely in between my younger siblings, so everyone had someone to hang with. It was home away from home. I would go with Stacey to her friends homes to sleep overs and parties and be treated as one of the gang. How often do you go out of town and end up invited to a sleep over? How cool was that! I don't even remember most of the girls names now, but I remember feeling loved and accepted. You can't remember the Porters without remembering the Cowans!!! Oh I so had a crush on Andy! LOL Who didn't??? That aside we would play hide and seek at night. It seemed like we could go anywhere on the street and all was well! (I wouldn't know if it was or not, but it sure felt like it!!) Those were the days. We ran all over that neighborhood, and I don't recall moms and dads freaking out about where we were because we were there, laughing, screaming, crying, and just having fun!! So many faces, so many memories... Mike's friends Scott, Matt....... Brandon's friend Brandon, and so many more! There was the cousins that lived at the end of the street, and Cindy that lived a few houses down for a time (she used to make us koolaid-maybe that is where I had Grandpa's swamp juice for the first time?? She used to put lemonade with something else. It was never just grape or orange or cherry. It always had lemonade in it.) Grandpa and Grandma Murray, going to their house was always fun! So many memories... so many more. To many to write about. My 'other' family, thanks for all the special times. I love you all so much, you have always been there for me and I want you to know how much that has meant to me over the years. Thanks

Playing in the snow

Alex

"Who do I look like?" Genaro

Peek a boo - Genaro

We had our first really big snow fall about a week ago, the weather was perfect for playing outside. It was actually warm and the kids took advantage of it. They started by building an igloo for each of them, and then you know how siblings behave. It started with someone breaking someone else's and that person of course denying it, and then someone else standing up and swearing that they saw that person do it (although we all know they were on the other side of the house at the time)! By the time it was all said and done there were 3 of the 6 left standing! It was a great time to be outside.

Alex's new bird

They have been with the family for a month or so. Sunshine was getting lonely and we never heard her sing, so it was time to begin the search for a friend. Along comes...."Fart". I guess that is the name Alex has settled on, although it changes from day to day. He could not come up with something naturish that was green and went with Sunshine. Anyone care to throw some ideas out to him?

New Suburban

Well here it is... the new suburban. Genaro loves the power and the color. As long as it wasn't white I think he would have been happy with whatever color it was. We can fit 9 in it, thanks to the bench seat up front, and no that does not mean we are planning on adding on to the fam!! LOL

Some of Genaro's projects

While the construction business has been slow, Genaro has been tackling some things in the house. He made a closet for Gab and Carmen and started painting their room. Not quite finished yet, but hopefully soon! He painted my dining room a beautiful yellow that I love. It is finally no longer neon green. The bright green was nice for a time but I am so glad it is gone. I love the yellow, everytime I look in my dining room I just fall in love all over again!!!

Kids Speak

Yes I am stealing this from my cousin Angie and her blog. Cousin? Yes, I have known her my whole life and feel as if she and her siblings are my family and I love them like family too.
Until I come up with a title I like for myself that is unique I am going to continue with her title 'kids speak'. I love to read what her kids have said and think it is a great way to record some of those often funny and precious comments our kids make, and so on that note here is our first 'kids speak'. Thanks Angie!

Alex: Mom do you wish we were superheros?

Mom: What superhero would you be?

Alex: Superman

Mom: Why?

Alex: Because he can fly and go real fast.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABRIELA!!! (A little late, Jan 6)

Wow I can't believe my little girl is a teenager! Gab decided to go to a movie with two of her friends. One of the friends mothers agreed to go with them. I spent a whole day talking to the movie theatre to make sure that we had the right time and the right theatre (we needed the one that carried the closed captioning with the cool Mo-picks!) Everything done and feeling confident that things would go well, I left to go get my haircut and sent the girls on their way. By the time I had finished with my appointment it had started to snow a little. When I arrived home I asked Genaro if he would be ready to pick up the pizza within the hour and he informed me that I had been given the wrong time and that the movie would not be over until after 4 pm. I was so upset, because the mother that had gone with the girls had to be at work at 2 and I knew she could not stay. Bless these two wonderful parents of Gab's friends, they worked it out that they would drop the girls off to see their movie and then the other parent would pick them up and bring them back to the house for cake and such. That was just the beginning though... in the meantime mother nature decided that it was going to work against us and we got hit with an ice storm. I had ordered the pizza and sent Genaro to pick it up. He called saying the roads were really bad and he could not get out of the neighborhood. I was like "go figure Genaro, it is only 2 blocks from the house!" So it was all hills, what difference does that make?? I called a friend who has an SUV and asked her if she would pick it up. She said no problem. About 20 min later the hubby made it home along with my brother in law who both said that the roads were horrible and began to tell their horror stories. So I called the friend back and told her to forget it. Called to cancel our pizza, I felt so bad, the manager said they could not deliver either because they had just been told to cancel all deliveries. $65 worth of pizza....well hope the employees enjoyed it. By this time watching the news and looking outside I was getting really worried about the girls getting home. I talked to the one mom who was to bring them and she assured me they would be driving in her hubby's big ole truck with 4 wheel drive and new tires. I was still in tears. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. During all this the mom that dropped the girls off came to the house, she had just gotten home, (1 and 1/2 hours later). As she was leaving the theatre she slipped and feel, then hit another car as she was trying to leave the parking lot, and it took her way longer to get home then it should have. She did not make it to work on time. I felt so bad. Gabby and her friends made it home. Unfortunately the one could not stay so she took cake with her. There was no pizza, but we made due with some yummy tacos! All in all it did not turn out ideal but she had fun, and I am sure it is a birthday she will remember. Happy Birthday Baby!

Getting Caught Up Part 2

Basically this is everything else that went on after the accident. We had a very nice Christmas with Mom and Dad, Genaro's family and our friend Paula. The kids made out with money and gift cards which had Genaro making multiple trips to Target!! HEHE He did not think it to funny and was a little upset with the person whose great idea was to give all the kids gift cards! I had nothing to do with it! :) Genaro's sister Carmen made some killin' tamales this year. I didn't even get any leftovers. The YMCA that I work for had a dinner catered in on the 26th. That was very nice, we didn't have to cook and the food was hot and delicious. New Years was nice as well, would have been nicer had mom and dad stuck around but they hit the hotel that night looking for a good nights sleep before they left. The question is, Did they get it???
So the new year flew in and flew past rather quickly. January has been a blur. I at this time feel like I should be feeling much like my normal self, yet I am still in a lot of pain. Hmmm