New Seasons

11.5 Months

I don't even know how to start this post because a lot has changed. Lately we've been trying to get the house back in order - like I said in the last post.. with a budget, and now with the kids involved in chores. I've been doing more deep cleaning around the house and following a daily schedule. Well, I can now because Aldo is more or less at a 9 to 5.

The main news is that Aldo left NFM. The easiest way I can explain it is that he's a claims adjuster at a growing company, but eventually he'll be in charge of production. He seems to like it. A lot of numbers are involved and fine-combing through files with city ordinances, etc. and going back and forth with insurance. We don't have the income we "need" yet, which is strange because I feel ok about it. I think the life insurance prepared me for us taking the dip. I know the money will come and I'm at peace about it. I like having Aldo home on the weekends, and home in the evenings. Yes, he stays late right now, but I know it won't always be like that. I just like seeing him happy and having energy. I mean... he's been playing football with Luke and Bandit.

Daddy's Home!

At home, I decided to go forth with teaching Mila preschool and she loves it. Every morning after breakfast we go upstairs to her room and "enter school" (a teal table in the corner). Sometimes we make it through our work and sometimes we don't. It really depends on how Mila is feeling and if Elli is too distracting. Usually school lasts about an hour and a half. After school I come down and fix lunch. Then Nayelli goes down for her nap and we have some quiet time and rest, or I try to clean up the house a bit. (Right now is my down time because I mowed the lawn this morning and did my work for the day.) I realized when we first started the school that I'm a great stay-at-home mom because I can find things to do. I'm like my mom in that I have to have a project. If I don't have something to work on and put my attention toward, then I get bored and lazy and depressing, watching things like "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" just so I can have some conversation, even though I'm not a part of it. (True story.)
At first it was hard going to "school", but now Mila has the hang of it. And I do too. She likes to earn stickers - princess, Minnie, Paw Patrol, star earrings, etc. And she loves cutting and gluing, and activity. Following a story where I don't turn the page as much is difficult for her. Or even worse, a story without pictures. So I'll start off school with the story so that we get the hard part over with while I have her attention. And if there's a day with two stories, then I'll tell the second during our snack time. It's a different experience than when I was at Miss Pat's. Mila doesn't have anyone to learn with. But at the same time, she shows some of the the same behaviors that Luke did - for example, she likes to tell me not to look while she's coloring the page and surprise me with it when she's done. Hopefully, she is learning that letters have sounds and remembering what the sounds of each letter are. So far we have gone through Aa, Mm, Ss, Ff, Rr, and this week we are working on Ee. She also has been having a hard time figuring out if a word starts with the sound during our Auditory Drills, but I'm not sure if she's just pretending or if she is really struggling. I guess we'll see when she enters Kindergarten.

Mila's 1st School

I'm going to be honest, I've been in a funk in the month of September. Probably even longer. Recently I've been praying more and reading my Bible more in the mornings. And it's been really good. It's been healing... I wasn't like how I was looking. I was snapping at Luke a lot. I was stressed. And negative. My birthday was NOT fun at all. Aldo said it was the Birthday Blues, that I get them every year. I didn't know that. I was so overwhelmed by wanting everyone else to have a good time, that I couldn't have a good time myself. Dumb huh? So... this might be my last year celebrating my birthday. From now on, let's just get ice-cream as a family or leave completely and go on vacation. :)

Other news:

• We met with Pastor Joe and told him that we were looking at ending our time as Children's Church Pastors after the Christmas Play. It's been a struggle coming up with ideas for the room and for a logo, and getting involved with the Warriors and other things, but we've discussed it and it's probably because, it's not supposed to be us that does it. After telling him, it was like a huge relief fell off my chest. And recently, I had a quick vision that we're supposed to "direct". Like, being an in-between making things flow. Interestingly that's what we're really good at. So I know we're supposed to do something... I'm just not sure what yet. And this past week, our worship leaders were let go. AND, Pastor T and Miss C let Pastors know that they were leaving the church. Crazy changes, huh? We have a leadership meeting tonight since all of this news... I don't know how it's going to play out. I hate being put on the spot. Also strangely, I haven't been so excited to be apart of something in a while. I'm excited to be praying and receiving healing and direction from God. I'm excited about the Women's Conference in October at CenterPointe. And I'm excited about the Christmas Play and that Aldo is so gung-ho for it too. And I'm excited to work with JoAnn at Project Give Hope. And, like we were at first, I'm excited to be used by God in whatever we do.
• Over the summer, Bandit did really well in the Agility competition. He got a white, however, we had worked on the teeter-totter only a few days beforehand and Bandit would barely touch it with his front paws. HE TRIED! At the competition he tried!! Luke and I were prepared for him to just skip that section and go to the next place, but Bandit tried and we were all surprised. I wish I could share the video with you on here, because I think the hearts of all of the audience were paused in anticipation. Everyone was rooting for him. It was really cool to watch.

 

 

Bandit & Luke in 4H

• We sent in our request for citizenship for Aldo. He went and got biometrics done. This Thursday, he has his naturalization interview where they test him on his English understanding and civics. Things like - how many voting members does the US House of Representatives have? (435), Name a writer of the Federalist Papers (James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Publius), and who is the current Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi)? I wouldn't have been able to answer any of these before. I don't think 50% of Americans can answer these questions. Sad.
• Mila's Pink Tea Party was a hit! I got the girls tea party hats, feathered boas, gloves and fans. I also had tea cups on little plates for each guest to use for their pink lemonade, chocolate covered strawberries, pink wafers, and puff pastry. Aldo did a reading for us, which was really cute. And we tried to balance spoons on our noses. We finished with ice-cream and presents. I had a blast even though I didn't get as dressed up as I wanted too. It's all about her anyway. She was really upset when I changed out the calendar to September in our school room (because I had to remove her cupcake that represented her birthday...).

Mila's Pink Tea Party

She Loves Her Present! (4 Years Old!!)

• Our fridge has been out of service for a month. They (a second repairman sent through the HWA) also come on Thursday and hopefully we'll be approved for a new fridge rather than someone fixing this one (only because it stinks now and I just want the whole thing gone). We've been living out of mom's mini fridge inside the house and a "beater fridge" in the basement. Not the most convenient, but thank goodness we have these and can eat at home rather than traveling and storing things at mom's, or going the expensive route and eating out.

 Ethnic Festival 2019

 

Viva Mexico!

White Macaroni

9.5 Months

Well... summer is almost over. It's been busy, but I really don't have to say that. You know. It seems that if I can catch up on here once every three months, then I'm doing a good job.
Right now the kids are upstairs in my room together - Nayelli taking a nap in her crib, Mila on the iPod watching any kid video with girls dressed up, and Luke playing Minecraft on my phone. (I was just thinking earlier today... will I ever know what is "in"? Probably not. Because I don't allow the kids on certain things, and I don't download certain games, and we don't have all the money to spend... so no, we won't know what Fortnite or TikTok or anything like that is. We won't know the names of the dance moves. And... I'm not really that broken up about it either. Our kids are really well rounded and I'm proud of that.) So I'm downstairs in the quiet with Bandit resting for a second.

The latest news is -
We had a budget meeting. (I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but following the Dave Ramsey advice of a budget meeting was probably one of the best things we did as newly weds.) We talked about our income with the insurance, expenses and all the changes through the years. It was crazy to see the numbers associated with each childbirth, and each household. We were at mom's house for over 6 years and it feels like a little blip on a screen. Anyway, we decided together that Aldo wouldn't do pursue insurance any more. When we got back from camp Mila made a comment that "Daddy was always working" and I think that really hit him hard. So he stayed home on his days off, and it felt like he was home for months. We went putt putt golfing, we went swimming, we stayed home. It was amazing. <3
Yesterday he got to see Luke show Bandit in the 4H dog show. We've been working up to this since January (unknowingly). We joined 4H only to get the free dog training. Who knew it would be so hands on...? Probably my mother. Ugh. (Side note: my mom is not the most empathetic. I told her today we might not do it next year because of the huge commitment, and she proceeded to tell me how it's nothing compared to what all my Grammy was involved in, and if she can do it with 4 children then I can do it with 3......... in not so few words. JUST WOW.) Anyway, we entered Bandit in Obedience Sub-Novice, Rally Obedience 1 and Pre-Agility. I didn't think Luke or Bandit were ready for Showmanship yet. Here's a quick explanation:

• Showmanship - Usually what you see on tv. The dogs are groomed and everything is looked at... ears, teeth, hair, nails. Behavior. The owner has to show them in a way that makes the dog look really high class. And the way they walk around the ring, the owner has to know how to turn so that the dog is always where the judge can see them (human can never block the dog).
• Obedience - Both the dog and it's owner are judged on how well the owner commands and the dog's response to it. So the judge says something like "recall your dog" and the owner should know to make the dog sit, stay, walk back as far as he/she can, call the dog to front position, and either choose to make the dog turn rotate to the left or circle completely around his/her body to the right to get back to heel position. 
• Rally O - Same as Obedience, but instead of the judge telling you what to do, a sign tells you what to do. There are 17 exercises at minimum.
• Agility - This is the obstacle course. It has the "dog walk", tunnels, jumps, see-saw, and I forget what those multiple poles are that stick up and the dog has to zig zag through them really quick.

So we spent all day yesterday at the Leavenworth County Fairground for the dog show. First we watched Showmanship, then some of Rally O before it was Luke & Bandit's turn. They did really REALLY well. I thought it might be a little bit harder actually and we had been practicing all week! We knew coming into it that the longest Bandit would sit still for us was 30 seconds, so... he bombed the 1-minute sit and the 3-minute down exercises. Actually he turned upside down and got his belly rubbed for nearly 2 minutes of it. Luke won a white ribbon.

After lunch, Luke was the first to start the Rally O off. He had no one to watch how it was done... and, going into it Bandit seemed really excited to just be out of his kennel. My first thoughts were - ok, he's too excited.... another white ribbon. They did so well! On the spiral they went around the last cone twice, which the judge must have missed. After he completed a... I'll call it a "recall"... Luke lost track of the sign and had to peek at it again, then turned and asked the judge, "Did that count?" (1. You can't talk to the judge. So he was deducted a point for that. And 2. Band it was a little slow to complete the forward part of the exercise so a point was taken there.) And the other two points that were taken must have been for multiple commands. HIS SCORE WAS A 96 OUT OF 100!!! He got a purple ribbon! What's funny is, when he left the ring we went outside to let Bandit go to the restroom and I had this huge talk about how they did really well, but listed the things I noticed. And I said, "You know, if he gets a white, I'm ok with that. If Bandit gets a high score, we'll have to move him up a level and that's off leash." He seemed ok after that talk (the morning after receiving the white ribbon had been really emotional). So we watched the rest of the owners and their dogs - some wouldn't lay down at all, some went the wrong direction, some didn't pay attention to the numbering, some didn't walk between the final two cones to leave the ring! And next was just a fun costume competition. We were so focused on getting Bandit dressed up, that we weren't ready to get his purple. They called Luke's name and when he saw the ribbon, he looked at me and I looked at him. Shock and confusion. Sooo awesome. Then, in the costume contest, Luke and Bandit took 1st for Funniest. I can say that it was all Luke. It wasn't that funny compared to the little dog in the stroller, but when the judges came by Bandit hand un-banded his mask and was chewing on it. Luke quickly improvised and pretended like he caught the thief and was going to hand-cuff him. We have such a fun kid. <3

The whole day was quite an experience. I'm glad things are.... slowing down...? I say that, but we still have VBS ("Block Party") coming up the first week of August, mom's birthday day trip to Amish country this coming weekend, Mila's birthday in August, and working at County Fair with the final Agility competition.

Updates on the other two -

I've been getting things slowly together for Mila's 4th birthday. It's all things pink and going to be a tea party. She's going to have so much fun. I actually feel bad for her. Luke has Bandit and also watches Yu-Gi-Oh with Daddy. Nayelli is a baby and does baby things and gets Mommy's attention. But what does Mila get? How does she get our attention? I can't say. So... I've been really thinking about having a "school time" for her this fall. Maybe even ordering the material for the ACE pre-k that Luke went through. But I can't remember the pricing of the instructional materials. I know it was expensive. But my thoughts are, if I buy it now, I can use it for both Mila and Nayelli later. Right? But I also wonder if Mila is the type that has to learn from someone else other than her mother...

Nayelli's upper tooth on the left popped through. And then the rest of her mouth just looks inflamed. Ever since we got back from camp, she's been really clingy, so this hasn't helped. And we took her to the doctor the other day for a regular check-up - this is the age of parent separation anxiety (or whatever you want to call it). Oi. Her little personality is popping through. I can say - it's not little... just like her big brother and big sister. She loves music. Loves "Gangnam Style", "Man in the Mirror" and the theme music to Friends. She'll shake her shoulders back and forth, throw her hands up in the air, clap and also head bang. Don't ask where she learned her moves. I blame the siblings. They're usually the ones right??? 

Just some other things I wonder about -

I used to like blogging because I could get my thoughts down, and instead of writing it all out by hand, typing goes a lot quicker. It helped me get my emotions out and wrap my head around things. Let go of emotions. Nag and complain without actually having to go to those people about it. But I haven't been blogging as much, so I just got to keep stuff to myself, or unfortunately, Aldo gets to hear the brunt of it.

• I'm not so sure about the church anymore. I keep wondering about when we'll be leaving. Is that a normal thing to think about? When you are going to LEAVE the church that you are currently at? Even more, currently PASTORING at? I love the kids, and by no means want to leave them, or even the families. But I'm taken aback by the politics that have popped up. I understand that our pastor is getting older and that his family may take over the church, but I can't believe all the talk that happens behind the scenes. And should it be labelled GOSSIP? I don't know. And, since we don't have meetings between the department heads any more, most of the time I don't know what people are even talking about. And why do people ask me what's going on? I'm in back, dude! (They really don't. They more ask about how someone is doing after they lose their position. But like, did I know that?! How should I know? I'm in back!!!) I was daydreaming on the way home from church today. We've been talking about Elijah and how God provided for him. I totally believed that God put us in back for a reason. The kids. That's obvious. But I didn't think that he had more than one! Like, there's a protection that came from being in back. We're protected from all the politics in a way. Because what would have happened if we were in adult service while all of this movement was taking place? Pastor T and Miss C are no longer "associates", new worship leaders were brought in, the youth pastors were let go, the worship team was let go, we no longer have meetings, the youth were renamed and taken over again. It's like EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. Thank goodness we've been in back. It's really been a safe place. I feel like we would have picked up some offense or offended somebody or gotten involved or been more apart of the "gossip". I feel protected and I'm really thankful for that. So I'm wondering what it's going to look like when we do end our time in the Children's area. Are we going to be asked to step down? Are we going to make that decision? Are we going to be at the same church? Are the same people we went in with going to be there? Will it be soon or in a year or in two or in five? Will we raise up someone to take over? It's just weird. 
• Dad and his life. He's been talking to me more and more, like really talking and opening up. I love that he is, but at the same time I worry for him. I don't like seeing him stressed. He is in the middle of moving to an apartment because something happened with his duplex that broke his agreement (not on his part). It tore him up that he made the decision to leave because he had to let go of years of collecting things and memories. It felt forced rather than him having that time to be ok with it. Then, he recently found out that the company he works for isn't renewing their contract with the building they are in. So to keep his job in 2020, he either has to move to Colorado, work from home (if he has that option), or take a severance package.

HOW THINGS CAN CHANGE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.

I'll end with a final note. One day, while grocery shopping I came across the cold Suddenly Salad meals that we used to buy. They didn't have the Tuna Helper in that aisle any more, and I was like - my kids like macaroni... Suddenly Salad is another take on it, but cold. This will be a good alternative option. So the day came when I chose to cook it. I forgot that it took a ton of mayonnaise and had this ranch-y powder to combine with it. I tasted it first, just to know what to expect and prep the kids for something "new". UGH. First bite was disgusting. So I got up my nerve and scooped out the kids' bowls and told them - if you eat all your white macaroni, you can have ice cream! THEY DID NOT LIKE THE WHITE MACARONI. They didn't fall for the ice cream bit. At one point Mila went to brush her teeth, came back and said the macaroni tasted better. That's because she still had toothpaste in her mouth. It tasted better because all she could taste was mint. So... we don't talk about the white macaroni any more. Anything that is gross will probably be compared to the white macaroni incident of 2019, which ended with me dumping more than half the pot in the garbage.

Three Entries

6.5 Months

For the past couple of months, the last few weeks especially, I was experiencing all the symptoms that point to menopause. Menopause! I finally buckled down and went to the doctor after reading that my body might be low on estrogen. I have everything working against me, really. I had a c-section, had gestational diabetes, and I’m breastfeeding... it’s like the trifecta. Turns out that I just have baby blues again. For some reason, my mind just likes to point all the emotions at Aldo and what comes out is boiling hot anger. Ugh. The cure: sunshine, exercise, drink more water and reducing stress. Ha! Better said than done, and what’s worse is hardly anyone believes you unless they have experienced postpartum depression or are a doctor. Nobody really shows the mom going through it empathy.

Also, I had low Vitamin D. The next few days I walked 3 miles to and from the school with the whole family, mowed the lawn, etc. and the weather was sooo nice. I really had been longing for it. Now the weather is back down to the 60s. I love Spring, but I don’t think I’ve longed for summer so much.

Nayelli has been rolling over a ton. She ends up sleeping on her belly when I check on her at night and in the morning. She says, “Mama”. Starting to be more intentional with it. But really the way she gets my attention is reaching out her arms or screaming bloody murder - like you think she just pinched or scratched herself, but really she pooped and wants out of it. She love, love, loves Bandit. They have this special relationship where she grabs his whiskers and he licks her legs. Everyone asks if she’s teething. Hey everybody, she’s been sucking on her fists, fingers, and wanting food since she was 3 months old. She’s been teething. The doctor said at her last visit in mid-April that she’s got some time still before her bottom two teeth pop through. I checked today; they’re definitely closer. Soon my tatas will know.

Mila has grown up in so many ways, it’s funny, exciting, surprising, and sad all at once. First, she’s finally potty trained. She likes a sip of water before bed, unlike Luke who only wanted milk, and so you have to make her go to the bathroom even if she resists. Her figure... I swear... she looks just like me, and yet she’s sooo stinking cute. She likes Paw Patrol, Lion Guard, Barbie, Trolls, PJ Mask, Spider-Man, Power Rangers, dinosaurs, purses, princesses, shoes, cooking in her fake kitchen, and watching YouTube Kids (which she calls “Ipod”). The girl is non-stop talkative. Or singing. Or dancing and moving. Nayelli will always be entertained. What’s funny is how sometimes I’ll be riding in the car with someone (like my mom) and I can totally ignore it, and the other person can’t. I wish I could share all the funny, clever things she says. Recently, she’s added the words, “of course,” to her vocabulary. She talks to herself a lot (as you can imagine), and so one day she was doing it and held up one finger and said, “of course”. Hilarious and perfect timing. That girl will do amazing things. Aldo and I honestly have our hands full; Luke is a genius, so having these two younger sisters that pick up things quick.... crazy to think about what they’re going to do/accomplish.

Ideas for future parents of girls:

Mila is now at the age where she tells me what hairdo she wants. Also, she has never had a haircut yet. I’m so sad that this might be the year it happens. Anyway, “look like Elsa” means one braid. “Puppy tail” means a regular pony tail, “puppy ears” means pig-tails, and “princess hair” can be any form of braid or pretty bow, clip, etc. So obviously we got these ideas from when Mila was Skye on Halloween from Paw Patrol.And it stuck. My recommendation is that you use what you can, use what they know to explain things or help them make sense of their world, and just do it in their own time. Today Mila said, AGAIN, and with emphasis, that she wants to go to school.

—

7 Months

See how I can start on something, be interrupted, and come right back? It only took me a few weeks...

1 - Nayelli’s teeth popped through a couple of days ago. Unlike the others she didn’t drool a ton WHILE popping through. She didn’t bite me a lot. She didn’t need tons of Orajel. She was fussy ONE day. Interesting... And also, it was the bottom left, right, and top right.

2 - Mila finally opened up the makeup. The real makeup. I can get her to be quiet, but only if I let her put on 5 different colors of real lipstick, pink eyeshadow on her chin and now foundation on her cheeks. She loves it. *Ask to see her “makeup tutorials”.

3 - I never even made it to Luke.

I hate how once they’re in school, I can’t tell you much about the milestones. He’s still smart. Still wants to be involved in paleontology. Doesn’t care about girls right now (or at least won’t bring it up to me...). He has friends. I asked him the other day if he’s popular, or everyone’s friend, or nerdy. He said he’s just popular with his friends but he thinks they’re all a little nerdy.

Today Aldo is about working on insurance. Yesterday he made calls and now he is out and about at appointments in Topeka, Olathe, and Kansas City. (I wish it were more localized.) His goal is to make $10K but if he makes $8K, he’ll put in his two weeks. He seems to think that he’ll pay us back, start a business fund, and pay for our trip to Germany in one swoop. Can your life change in less than a week? Also that brings up Germany. I’ve been looking into it. It’s been my hope to travel abroad again. Although after some research, I’m a little scared to go to Germany. I don’t know the language and the culture doesn’t seem as appealing as Spain.

—

This is just ridiculous. Why can’t I finish a basic post? 

1 - Nayelli now screams like a firecracker going off. I figured out that sometimes it’s just the ending to her singing Pat-A-Cake (the “throw it in the pan” part). You can tell because she’ll make the hand gestures. Like she trying to figure out how to “roll it up”.

2 - Mila likes fake cooking in her fake kitchen. I remembered that cooking together was something good for this age to do, so for Bandit’s first birthday the kids and I made homemade puppy treats. Mila made peanut butter, banana, and Greek yogurt in an ice cube tray. I should tell you that I hate the smell of Greek yogurt and Mila ate half the banana. So when it cane time for her to scoop it into the tray from the mixer, she got some on herself and cried about being messy. So then I had to do it and keep the gags to myself because of the stale smell.

Luke made baked doggie cookies out of pumpkin, eggs, peanut butter, and wheat flower. We rolled it out and used bone and party hat cookie cutters too. Luke tried one and said it was gross because it had no taste. I think for humans all it needed was sugar...?

3 - Luke’s last week of school is coming up. Why do they even make kids go this last week if they’re already sending home books and telling the kids that this and that subject are over (I.e. Science & Social Studies)? This month he’s done MAP testing, then went to the park, went on a limo ride to Pizza Studio, and this next week they have a Splash and Dash.

4 - Nayelli’s dedication is tomorrow. So I really need to go to sleep now, because we’re out of Children’s Church, but I still need to have the lesson laid out for our sub, which is a LAB day (full of very hands-on stuff). 

Annnnd, I made posole today for the very first time alllllmost by myself. It was an experience! Remind me later to elaborate! 

Finally, the end.

My mom says I need to continue blogging...

Little does she know I already am...

3 Months

Nayelli Grace (2 Months)

I actually haven't forgotten to write; I've just been really, really busy. From October through December we had been working on the Christmas play at church. It seems I was there at least three times a week. I was worried because it wasn't your typical Christmas play (a modern day Scrooge), and second it wasn't your typical nativity story that you would see in church (a modern day Scrooge with a spiritual twist). Furthermore, I had to do the set all by myself. And I had a newborn! And a three-year-old that can't sit still. Thank goodness Dad let me borrow his Netflix password, otherwise we would never have gotten it done.

Our Amazing Trunk or Treat (and First Family Photo)

Nayelli was a Unicorn Princess

After that we were sick for a while. About four rounds of itchy throat and runny noses, and pure exhaustion. I didn't feel much like talking about that. Actually, Nayelli had to be observed overnight at Children's Mercy because she had a temperature. Aldo had forgotten about this, but because of her young age, a slight temperature is something to worry about. It was rough. Aldo had to stay home with the kids and with Bandit. I had to stay at the hospital alone overnight. Nayelli had to sleep in a big girl bed/crib hooked up to monitors. Of course, she slept through the night proving the point that she is a "perfect baby". I slept in the rocking chair right next to her with lights on and waking up every hour to pump or for vital check, etc. I'm grateful though, because from this experience we learned that she can, indeed, sleep alone in her crib through the night. So when we got home, we swaddled her and put her in the crib. Since then she's slept through the night.

Nayelli's First Visit with Abuelito

The holidays were nuts. Absolutely nuts. Honestly, where do I come up with these ideas? And why do I open my big mouth? Why do I agree to things? For Thanksgiving, I decided that I wanted to see Dad's side of the family. We hardly ever see them for holidays. Then, Aldo's dad announced that he was moving to El Paso after Thanksgiving, so this was our last time to see him. And Aldo's mom would be going to central Mexico on vacation for Christmas. And Vero wanted to host, but not late at night. And Jerad would host, but he would have to do it later for the kids. It was all mixed up this year! Long story short, we made it to all three, but we were late to both of mine and I didn't get to do my favorite thing... play games! Never. Again. Never, ever again. Two Thanksgivings is enough. Three Thanksgivings is straight up coo-coo.  

Merry Christmas 2018! 

 The very first in our new house...

Christmas, I thought, might go better since we were hosting (Aldo's idea). I knew it was coming because Maecy hosted last year, and when we bought the house Aldo said we would host the next one. Hosting is just as bad as being the one to travel. I don't know who decided we'd be the only ones cooking... I know who. It was Aldo! IT WAS ALDO!!! Aldo told all of my family that we would cook mom's ham, buy a turkey as well and cook it, make mashed potatoes (because J and Amy might not be coming and they're easy), and I'd cook the green beans (per usual because I make his favorite). He told his family not to worry about a thing, that there would be plenty of food, just bring themselves!!! I was like, whoa now... if we're hosting two families at the SAME TIME, we're going to need more. Jerad brought a ton of soda. Granddad was supposed to bring the rolls (he brought hamburger buns). Maecy brought her pretzel salad dessert (delicious!), Mom made stuffing, and Jul came with (what he brings every year) pecan pie. Everyone came at the same time! IT WAS INSANE! Thanks to Granddad and his horrible memory, and Jerad's "5 minutes" turning into a solid hour, my side ended up at the house between 1:30-2:00. Aldo's side, running on CPT, got there immediately after. We were supposed to serve at noon. And I hadn't eaten breakfast. I was starrrrving! And you know what else??? We had two gift exchanges. And while everyone was playing games on the Cooper side, we had the Secret Santa with the Alvidrez'. And while they played the cube game and I almost burnt the second round of green beans, I also had to show the Coopers how to work the remote. Entertaining is stressful. All I wanted to do was play games!!! I had spent YEARS waiting to get to the adult table... it was like, my greatest accomplishment when I was finally able to sit down with everyone and be taken seriously at Up and Down the River... and now, I might actually strategize and win! Sheesh. Afterward, Aldo agreed that hosting both sides at the same time, even though we had enough seating probably wasn't the best idea. So now, we plan on switching years at hosting between the family. 
How did New Years come up? Aldo. Still Aldo. He told friends that he wanted to have them at our house. And invited more friends. Someone's kids invited their friends. And so on. Aldo had worked a regular shift, came home and grilled up some tacos, and hosted til past midnight. For a while there, it was a ton of music and, for me, running up and down the stairs to take care of Nayelli. Then for a while we played Texas Hold Em'. Midnight came, and since then we haven't had a spotless house. (Was it seriously ever going to be spotless? And with a dog that sheds?) Confetti was everywhere! I knew we'd have confetti to sweep up, but darn it, some kid took it upstairs and tossed it all over both of our kids' rooms and in the bathroom too! There's confetti in between the crack of the seat of our couch. There's confetti in our air vents. There's confetti in our vacuum that we emptied at least three times. And there's still confetti in our room (which was locked that night), from sticking to the bottom of our socks and shoes and being carried in there! Forever confetti. Fun night though. Since then, everybody wants to come to our house. I don't know why... we have hardly any seating. No one eats at the dining room table. Our dog goes bonkers when anyone comes over. Maybe I should stop smiling when someone throws out these bad ideas..... I'll replace it with Aldo's "grumpy cat" face.

I forgot to mention that in between the holidays, right before Christmas to be exact, Aldo decided to get a vasectomy. So there's that. I don't want to go into too much detail, but let's just say it was a bad experience for both of us. What should have been a 5-10 minute operation, ended up being 45 minutes. And the recovery was longer. And it's hard as a "nurse" when you don't know how to help the "patient" and how to empathize with what they're going through. All you know is that it was traumatic. And you know, it being the sensitive and prized area... all the more traumatic. 


Currently...

Nayelli
Gosh, because this is HER first year book that I'm working on... 
She's amazing. Absolutely amazing. I already said that she sleeps through the night. A typical day goes like this:

5:00-7:00 am • Wakes up after sleeping through the night for first feeding and goes back to bed
9:00-10:00 am • Wakes up for good, is very attentive and happy (I get most of my cleaning done)
Eating in between
12:00-2:00ish • First nap
Eating in between
Attentive, but wants attention. A good time for games, toys, and learning.
6:00-8:00ish • Second nap
Eating in between
10:00-11:00ish • Bedtime

She recognizes and loves my face. Daddy is pretty high up there too. More importantly, Bandit is interesting now. Except that I've caught him licking her hands, feet, and head while she's in the swing, so you have to keep an eye out. And on top of that, she likes to stick her hands in her mouth as fists. It's really cute. But what's not so cute is when she does it right after Bandit licks them. She also blows raspberries and will chatter at you and raise her eyebrows and smile, like she's telling you a story. Cutest thing ever! She drools a lot. Can babies cut teeth this early? Google says some babies are born with teeth, so at three months it could happen. Typically, they cut around 6 months, but a baby can start showing the symptoms as early as 3 months. If that's so, she might be slobbery in every picture from now til then. Just saying. Last, blankets now go to the mouth too. Today, I caught her examining her hands. The time when she starts examining all sorts of things with her mouth is coming. It's right around the corner.

Mila
Oh, Mila. She is a wonderful big sister. She doesn't try to "help" by taking care of the baby herself like I feared she might. Instead, she warns me when the baby is crying and I need to get out my "special leche". She'll grab you diapers and wipes if you ask repeatedly. And, she'll play with Nayelli by taking her toys, giving Nayelli a high-pitched voice and having a conversation for her, or by telling her she's "so cute" and reminding me to put bows in her hair. Everything is still "so cute". Nayelli is a "princess". Speaking of which... we had a conversation today:

Me [in control of Nayelli's hands]: Come at me, Mila. I'm gonna punch you. Come on. Come at me!
[Mila giggles]: No!
Me: Come on...
[Still giggling]: No!
Me: Hey, guess what, Mila. I'm a princess boss. 
Mila: No, you're not a boss.
Me: Yeah, Mila. I'm a princess boss. Mila's not a princess boss.
Mila: No!
Me: Yeah, I'm a princess boss. Mila's a baby!
[Mila giggles]: I'm not a baby! You baby! 

Gosh, she's so smart. And gorgeous! Both of my girls are GORGEOUS. I mean... watch out! But back to smart. I was worried because I haven't been able to work with her like I did with Luke. For a good portion of his life, Luke watched Elmo and that's how he learned everything. So I was very happy when she picked up Mickey's shapes book. And counting from "monkeys jumping on the bed". And colors from... well, I don't know where they came from. Power Rangers, maybe? I'm so proud.
Hopefully soon we'll be able to get back to the library, where she can have some big girl time and learn with kids her age. Get used to kids her age! She wants to go to "school" and calls the library her "school" and also church her "school". She'll tell me she has "homework" and then play with her toys for a while. I honestly have no idea what she's doing, but if it keeps her occupied for a little bit, then that's good. The girl is constantly talking, or singing, or moving. She's seriously a special kind.

Luke
This is the part where my mom said I should start blogging again. It comes from the fact that I enrolled Luke in 4H. He decided his first project should be with the dog. Actually I encouraged it. Dog Care & Obedience to be exact. Win-win! So we had our first class (without the dog). Class went well with three kids. The trainer is really nice and funny, seems down-to-earth and easy-going. She ended up giving out homework to work on this first week. Made sense since next class will be wild with 10-20 dogs, several of them less than a year old, meeting other dogs and other people for the first time in a new place with new smells. Some who haven't been on a leash that much. Some who haven't been in the car that much... like ours for instance. I imagine that we'll want to quit after the first week. Anyway, the homework was: to work on their name (a dog should look you in the eyes when you say their name, that way if you're out in a field and shout their name... they at least acknowledge you), work on a "stupid trick" that I can only describe as dog touches their nose to your open hand, and the basic trick of sitting. If the dog is already pretty good at sitting then you can toss them treats (which leads to staying). Well, we get home and Luke and I look at each other and say, "Hmmm... let's see what Bandit can do!"
Bandit is not a dumb dog. Close, but not the dumbest. He knows his name. Woohoo! He instantly wants to come at your hand if you put it out. Instead of a nose touch, it has turned into let me go above and beyond and lick your hand up and down for the treat. I will wrap my tongue AROUND your hand, that's how much I want a treat. :| And, for a treat... he'll sit right away. He'll also sit for praise. He likes attention. So, we're like... let's move on to the treat toss. The very first one bonks him right in the middle of the forehead! It was hilarious and sad. I've noticed that he's not very quick at sniffing things out. Apparently he's not very good at seeing things fly towards his head either. I will give it to him though, the treat is tiny like pea-size. I suggest we try a toy instead. So Luke and I do the trick with Bandit's squirrel that he just got for Christmas. He did sooo good! And Aldo taught Bandit to "drop it" so it's been turned into a really fun game! After 20 or so treats and fetches, we're done and I go upstairs. Before I know it, Luke comes up and tells me he has bad news. Bandit ripped up his squirrel. There's stuffing everywhere. Ok, no biggie. He's also ripped up my bra. My last bra. Ugh. THIS DOG! The trainer said to pay attention to how much praise vs. "no"s we tell our four-legged companions. I tied up the count real quick. (To be noted: Bandit has gone after my bras forever. Is it my smell? Is it the breastmilk? Is it the fact that it's just mine and he wants it? I don't know why he went for it, but he's on my Do Not Trust list. Cannot leave bras around, even if on the highest point of the couch or counter. He WILL find it. He WILL go for it.)

Aldo & Myself
Right now our church is doing a 21-day fast. It's been good so far. It is only Day 3...
In the midst though, we have been planning for the Children's Church ahead of schedule, which is nice (for me especially... the admin). We went on a "date" last night to go pick up a foosball table in middle of nowhere, Holton, KS. During the ride we talked about dreams that we've had on trips to go on, retirement, aspirations, work-related goals, etc. Today starts the day where I start getting the house in order and our five year plan written out, a budget in place and so on. Aldo and I are finally in agreement to do the insurance thing (not with the original company), AND in agreement that I should go back to school to become a CPA. I've looked into it several times and every time I think - Oh my gosh, I haven't done a math problem in forever and now companies and people are going to trust me to help them with their finances and taxes! I can't do percentages off the top of my head like Aldo can! I don't understand stocks! I would have to be attached to Excel and whatever other programs they have now. And, would working with numbers all day be mundane and dull? But, I am encouraged to try out a class at least. I can do it. If it doesn't work out, well, like Aldo's insurance job... it wouldn't be "the dream job"... but a means to the end. In all seriousness, I've made the dream job. I'm a mother.