It's Gumbo weather

It's Gumbo weather!! Unfortunately El Paso is limited on the sausage required for Gumbo - unless you enjoy chicken and hotdog gumbo which we do not. So we decided to special order some wonderful cajun sausage. It showed up yesterday in a cooler - still frozen. Ryan thought Jack would enjoy getting mail so when he ordered it he put to be mailed to Jack's House. Well when Jack opened the package and realized it was just sausage he got a little weepy. " I always get the lame gifts in the mail" was the response. Little did he realize that the sausage was packaged with dry ice and the genius that Ryan is helped Jack see that the real gift was the wonderful things you can do with dry ice. First he put it in a glass with soda and the boys oohed and aahhed appropriately. But the real excitement came when the question came up : I wonder what would happen if we put the dry ice in the toilet. So in response to my sister Michelle's blog post --- this is what having little boys is all about. Is it wrong to enjoy watching two little boys put dry ice in the toilet and discover what happens when you pee on it? I say no! Have you ever heard my boys laugh? It's a glorious sound!!

And in this corner...

Well I took Benjamin to the Dr earlier this week and he weighed in at 13 lbs 7 oz. His doctor seems to be quite impressed with my ability to breastfeed - I think I'm supposed to take that as a compliment. As you can see from the photos : this boy ain't starving!

Apparently he thought he was hungry and decided to eat his hand

It's just not possible to look at this boy and not think he is the cutest thing on the planet! We love him! And as Jack says nearly everyday " He's so adorable"!

Is this a good activity?

Christmas is absolutely one of my favorite times of the year. And what makes it even better is having a new addition to our family. Here we are putting up the tree - and it only took us two days to put it up and decorate it. I remember mom always saying how she enjoys sitting and watching the lights. I always thought this was a little odd (sorry mom) maybe its a mom thing but I find myself doing the same thing these days. It seems every year we have the discussion "white lights or colored lights"? I like the white light, uniformed tree. Ryan likes the colored light, mismatched. children made tree. Not that I don't like that as well but I've always thought it would be nice to have the family tree and a "just for looks" tree. It seems like I'm getting less attached to the idea each year. It is pretty fun watching the kids get so excited about decorating the tree and deciding exactly where each decoration would look the best. And I find myself watching the colored lights and feeling very happy.

Can we do the activity now? Activity - Nativity : to a five year old same thing. The boys get pretty excited about this as well. I have 3 nativity scenes. This one was given to us from Ryan's mom when we got married. It is fun to watch the boys decide where the best place for everything is. Somedays I notice that a shepherd or a wise man has moved but I'm sure its just to get a better view.

Red Ryder BB Guns

When you think of Christmas - do you think of a Red Ryder BB Gun? My children actually own one so I can say with confidence that it will not be on anyones Christmas list this year. So what do you do with a Red Ryder BB gun? I think the more important question is what do you do with a BB gun and expired soda that no one will drink. Well this is what you do.....

There is nothing like watching soda cans exploding! And since I was taking these sweet photo's I didn't get a picture of me shooting at the can's. In case you didn't know I am actually quite good at shooting things from a short distance as long as they aren't moving. Not everyone can say that!

Thanksgiving

Did you have snow on Thanksgiving? I did! We made the trip to Alpine to spend Thanksgiving with Ryan's family - everyone was there except Faron and Jenny. Now you would think with all the fun people that were seeing Ben for the first time that I would have tons of pictures to show for it. Well we definately left with something and it wasn't lots of pictures.
I started out good though - Thursday morning it started to snow and of course the kids all dressed up in their snow gear. Jack and a couple of the cousins were anxious to snow angels which turned out to be mud angels with a dusting of snow but they had a great time doing it. It really was a beautiful sight to see the snow and the snowflakes were HUGE. So I managed to take a few pictures of the snow. Unfortunately by afternoon the sun came out and melted most of it.

I think Jack was one of the first ones outside anxious to play in all the snow. OK so you have to look real closely to see it but it was there. This of course is at the beginning of the snowfall - there really was much more.And I managed to take a picture with Uncle Aaron and Ben sleeping

By Thurs night Jack was throwing up with diarrhea. We decided to leave Friday morning in the event that the rest of us were fortunate to enjoy the same fortune and neither Ryan or I wanted to make the drive back feeling like that. We thought if we made it home it would be better to be sick at home. One by one Amy and her kids, Aaron, and our family have been cursed with the plague. It seemed to be a quick recovery for the kids but Ryan and I for some reason are still trying to recover. You know it just wouldnt' be Thanksgiving without someone throwing up mashed potatos!

It's always fun for everyone!!!

Nancie came to visit this past weekend and we loved having her here!! Even though all we did was sit around - I'm a little lacking on the entertainment skills right now - it was nice to have family here. The boys loved having her to play games with so I'm sure she got her fair share of Bingo, Clue, and Chutes and Ladders but hey who doesn't enjoy a good game of Chutes and Ladders.

Our favorite Aunt Nancie!!
I know many people have been asking me to post more pictures with Ben with his eyes open. Babies change so much day to day and to be honest I think he looks different in pictures then he does in real life but he's still adorable!

I'm thinking he is at about 11 lbs by now - we have his month check up on Monday but I weighed myself with and without him today and thats what I came up with. He should be putting on the pounds with as much as I feed him. Don't you love the double chin? I wish it was as cute for me to have a double chin. I guess that's why you won't see any pictures of me for a while.

Jack really wanted me to put this outfit on him yesterday but its a 3 month outfit and I told him it probably wouldn't fit. Well I tried it out today and it fits pretty well.

As always I will try to do better about posting more pictures. It's just hard not to want to sleep every chance I get. Some nights he's only up twice and goes right back to sleep other nights he's up for a couple hours. Even though I seem to be exhausted I try to keep things into perspective. I love this little boy! I love Ryan for giving me this little boy! And I would much rather be sleep deprived and up all night with him than to not have him in my life. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who allows us to experience having these miracles!

Guess who's 2 weeks old!

You just can't tell that Jack absolutely loves his little brother. It is not uncommon to hear " Hey there little buddy" and to hear Jacks sweet little voice singing to Benjamin. Unfortunately it is also not uncommon to hear the two older boys argue over who held him the longest and who's turn it is.

I have yet to capture a smile but Ryan has managed to get this semi smile
You can see he has light brown hair but I wonder if it will change to blond - he has no eyebrows !

Our good friends Benny and Maria (Tia Nena and Tio Guero)came to visit with their girls on Sunday

2 weeks ago

Two weeks ago today I was praying that I wouldn't have the baby so we could celebrate Jack's birthday. He had been planning the perfect birthday party for so long and I wanted him to have a perfect #5 birthday. As mentioned before he really wanted a Chuck E Cheese birthday with a hamburger cake. I'm pretty sure he had that planned since his #4 birthday. When we arrived at Chuck E Cheese that night it was a mad house - the whole parking lot was filled with minivans and SUV's so we had to change plans and Jack agreed that he could have his birthday at Peter Piper Pizza. The fact that I had taken the time to search coupons online to satisfy my need to be as frugal as possible went out the window, but it was worth it considering the kids could run around a play games without waiting in a 10 minute line. I mean its Chuck E Cheese for crying out loud - not Disneyland.

The last photo I have with just two (and a half) sons.

Birthday morning pancakes - Mickey mouse of course - and hot chocolate! Just what the birthday boy ordered. Of course he filled up on hot chocolate and didnt' eat the pancakes.

The hamburger cake was freakin awesome!! I was really uncertain about how it was going to taste because it looked like it was about 3 inches of frosting -- and the smell!!!! I know it was because I was pregnant but the smell was very unattractive to me. I have to say that we were all very impressed it really was a great tasting cake!!

Now the french fries on the other hand - not so great. I'm not sure what happened there but it still looked pretty cool.

Me and My Jack

The party crew - Grandma Mikey, Aunt Bess and Jeff, The Valles family - Benny, Larisa, Maria, and Abbie

And what party isn't complete without Dad and his pornstache!

How's that for October 27, 2008 - now October 28th a whole new adventure!

More pics

Benjamin is now 1 week old!! He still has his days and nights mixed up so he sleeps the majority of the day away. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep but I have a feeling I'll be saying that for years to come.

I finally got a good picture with his eyes open - its not too often that his eyes are open for any long period of time.

Payton and Benjamin - the newness has not worn off yet. The boys still love to hold Benjamin every chance they get.

Benjamin sun bathing and Jack keeping him company.


Stay tuned for pictures of Jack's birthday........

Benjamin Michael

He's here!! I know you are all anxious to see pictures of Baby Benjamin - here's just a few. When I have had a good nap I will post more.Minutes old

I know compared to little Sammy he probably looks like a giant

Thankfully Ryan's mom Mikey could be here! It was great to have her in the room during the delivery and such a relief to know Payton and Jack were loved and cared for while I was in the hospital.



Yes they are both still this excited about their little brother. It is so fun to see how they behave around him.

Big Brother Jack

Jack and the baby

So despite the fact that I really want to have this baby I'm concerned that he will be born so close to Jack's birthday. For a while Jack thought that if the baby was born before his birthday that the baby would be older than him. I think that he has gotten over that but he may not understand that if this baby comes before his birthday we will have to re evaluate the birthday plans. Jack has been planning for some time to spend his birthday celebration at Chucky Cheese. He also has wanted a hamburger cake. Everytime we are at Albertsons we have to stop at the bakery to see the cake decorated like a hamburger complimented with french fries. At first I thought -"I could do that" but honestly I just don't have the energy or desire to do anything right now and I guess that includes trying to make a special hamburger cake for my Jack. So last night I was talking to the kids about the baby and I asked Jack "what if the baby is born on your birthday?" He got pretty excited and said that I could I give the baby to him as a present and put him in a box so he could open the box but that I would have to put holes in the box so the baby could breath. Its a good thing he remembered the holes.

And just so that you know because Jack is very excited and has been counting down the days :

4 more days !!!

Stop the Press!!!!

OK no joke this was on the front page of the El Paso Times today:

"Without bid, inmates will be without tortillas"

EL PASO -- In a city where tortillas are as common as dollars and pesos, inmates at El Paso County jails will have to go without tortillas -- a cruel and unusual crisis.
No tacos. No burritos. No soup. No corn. No flour.
County officials announced on Monday that no vendors had responded to a bid asking for tortilla supplies for the detention bureau division which includes the county jail, jail annex and juvenile detention center.
"Can't we just arrest someone who knows how to make them?" asked County Commissioner Dan Haggerty.
The contract, which is for six months, is normally worth about $10,000.
Piti Vasquez, the county's purchasing agent, told commissioners that one company did intend to turn in the paperwork needed to make the tortilla bid, but they were several hours late in doing so and had to be disqualified.
The county will now have to re-bid the tortilla contract and hope that at least one of the 20 tortillerias in the El Paso area respond.
Haggerty had a better suggestion -- have the inmates make them.
"I can understand why we have to have a contract for the milk," he said. "But there's no reason why the tortillas and the bread should not be made by the prisoners."
Gustavo Reveles Acosta may be reached at greveles@elpasotimes.com;546-6133.


My favorite line "Can't we just arrest someone that knows how to make them?"
Seriously?
What is the world coming to? God Bless America!

Pregnant Bellies and Sweet smelling showers

So I've realized for some time that I can't see my feet anymore and maybe that's a good thing considering they are swollen a good majority of the time. Just thought I'd share - in case you are wondering what that big blob is covering half of the picture it is the pregnant belly I speak of. And yes I had to do some creative acrobatics to get this picture. Good times!Jack just got out of the shower while smelling his arm and said "Mom I could eat myself I smell so good!" Who ever said that little boys smelled like puppy dog tails? OK so most of the time they do but not after taking a shower with tangerine smelling soap. Jack just makes me smile!

My #1 Son

Payton's birthday was on Tuesday and I can't believe that he is 9 already! So in tribute to my #1 son I thought I would share a few things about Payton.

He really is a great kid and has a delightful sense of humor. The other night the boys were acting up at the dinner table so Ryan told them that if they didn't stop he was going to have to slap them. Without much thought Payton said " What style?" What do you mean what style? Well you know it could be a ninja slap or a disco slap... and then proceded to show us the different kinds of slaps.

I love to hear Payton laugh. Its actually kind of a giggle and its quite contagious.

Even though he is 9 now and its not very cool to hold his mothers hand he sometimes lets me hold his wrist.

Apparently Payton has a pretty cool shower dance which I have yet to catch him in the act

I love the fact that he loves to tell people about his one normal ear and his one elf ear and how much he is like his dad

It seems as though he has a very low pain threshold - even when I cut his hair you would think that I was beating the child to death the way he over reacts. I think we have heard the phrase "Its the worst pain I've ever been in" a number of times. You would think this would get old, but somehow it never does.

Payton has a great memory (which obviously he got from his dad) especially when it comes to tv shows or video games and if you have a few minutes he will tell you all about it.

He is a great helper and I know he is excited to be a big brother again as long as changing diapers isn't required.

He is very intelligent and apparently much smarter than I am but maybe someday he will realize that I do know a little about some things. I have always thought his he must truly be older than me in spirit. Even as an infant he seemed to be this little man in a tiny body.

He is a wonderful son and I love him! I couldn't ask for a better #1 son.

And welcome to.......

So the past couple of days I can't get the theme song to My Three Sons out of my head. As badly as I wanted a little girl I am getting more and more excited for this little boy to be born - despite the fact that we can't really officially decide on a name. We have a few ideas now that we both like but for some reason I keep thinking I need to see what he looks like before I can name him. This was not the case with Payton and Jack. Why that is I don't know - I think its a bit frustrating to Ryan - he really wants this kid to have a name NOW. I'm still open to suggestions.

My life

Maybe I'm ridiculous, but I laugh everytime I see this commercial and I'm pretty sure that this is a foreshadowing of my life in the future. Can't you just see Ryan sitting at the table with the boys and doing something like this?

Look at her garden grow!

This is our front yard planter with my gorgeous squash garden. We planted yellow squash and zucchini this year and have had an overabundance of squash which we love! I went to Alpine last weekend to see my man and boys and to celebrate Mikey's birthday. While I was gone it rained and my squash went a little crazy. This is what was waiting for me when I got home. Isn't that just the most beautiful sight you've ever seen. It feels like an accomplishment to me especially since I seem to kill any living plant or flower I come into contact with. I've never thought of myself as having a green thumb but hopefully I'm getting better at that. And yes - it seems we pick about this much every day. Now if I could just get my kids to enjoy eating the stuff without gagging.

First day of school

Payton's first day of school was yesterday. You can just see the excitement in his eyes. It's hard to believe he is already in 3rd grade and almost 9 years old. Of course he is just sure that he couldn't possibly learn anything new but the mean parents we are we insist on him getting an education. His teacher's name is Mrs Rapanut. Yes it is pronounced exactly the way it looks and I'm sure I don't have to tell you how much Ryan enjoys this.