New Pics!

Well, we tried to take Easter pictures this past Monday at a local studio that I have used lots of times. Let's just say, we didn't get a single pic!! Rayven wouldn't smile her "real" smile, and Rylee wouldn't even sit down! It was frustrating, but I knew the day would come....I was just hoping for later and not sooner.

So my photography friend, Jennifer, rescued me in this photo emergency! Check out these pictures...they turned out so great! Thanks Catrina for telling us about the blue bonnet field, and thanks to Jennifer for a job well done!

Fun in the Spring!

Well, here it is...another 2 weeks have gone by and NO BLOG!! I suppose rather than feel guilty about all I haven't done, I can reflect on the fun things I HAVE done in the past two weeks!!

Since South Padre, we spent another fun-filled week with our Finns. We did so much - Six Flags, riverwalk, Alamo, St. Paddy's parade, and a lot of shopping. It was a great time that ended too quickly! This week has been filled with MOPS, Mother's Day Out, and playdates. We love to stay busy.

Rylee was 20 months old yesterday and is growing in leaps and bounds. She can finally climb back down the stairs without too much trouble, which is a big relief! Whenever she goes missing, I know that she's up in her sister's room! She loves to play with Rayven, and I love to hear the two of them interacting. It makes me realize that whatever I say to Rayven, she repeats it back to Rylee! LOL.

We are loving the spring weather. 70-80s in the day, and 50-60s at night. Texas life is good when it's not so hot that you can't breathe! We've had some beautiful days to get out and about...now if our pool will just open up. And then we'll need a swingset for the back yard. That's all we need! Our weekend is going to be busy with soccer, egg hunts, birthday parties, and a special night out with Rayven.

Monday turned into a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I served Rylee's breakfast on her high chair tray...only to have her throw it at me, onto the floor! What's up with that? Then later in the day, we attempted Easter pictures at a studio....however, it did not go as planned. Rayven would only smile this fake cheesy smile, and Rylee wouldn't sit down! Seriously??? I don't remember Rayven being so difficult at that age, but she probably was. :)

So that's what's new with the Torres Times Two Crew at the moment. Life is busy, but life is good. Looking forward to Easter and more spring fun!

Hotel Torres

Is it REALLY the 9th day of March?? I mean, REALLY, is it possible that time flies by so fast? I just think it was New Year's the other day or something, and it's almost Easter already. What's happening? Am I getting old? (If I am, please don't tell me.)

I don't know how it happens, but it does happen. I can't believe my daughters will be 6 & 2 this year, and I really can't believe it's almost Easter! LOL. What's going on?? Well, for starters, we are keeping busy. And I do mean BUSY. Not only are we involved with MOPS, a Mom's Group, church, and friends, but we're also running Hotel Torres! Of course, we love it absolutely when friends & family come to visit. There's nothing better!

January brought my mom & sis-in-law to town for a 10-day visit. February brought my BFF Karen & her hubby for a long weekend. And now the Finns are here. YES, I have Finnish friends. Is that so unusual? ;) Markus & I have been friends for almost 10 years, it's hard to believe! And despite distance, we keep in touch. I love to visit Finland, but it's been a while since I've been there. So I do owe them a trip, and I will pay my debt next summer!!

We have had so much fun visiting all our friends so far this year! We hope that April brings my cousin, Brookie, and my parents plan to come in May. All these things make time go by faster, but they also make me miss home a little less. :)

Speaking of home, I really miss South Carolina beaches. As I write this on my laptop, I'm sitting at South Padre Island, Texas. Now, before you go hating me, take this in: THIS BEACH SUCKS. Oh yeah, I said it. For all the people who've told me it's great...I'm pretty sure this is the only beach they've been too. I mean it isn't horrible, but it isn't good either! And I could get past the crappy beach if there was something - ANYTHING - to do!

How bout a round of mini-golf? Oh yeah, there isn't one. Well....a mall? Some shopping? An aquarium? A zoo? A Starbucks, for crying out loud?? No, nope, and don't think so. On a rainy day, seriously, there is NOTHING to do here. Now, maybe it's a party if you're old and have no kids and really don't mind sitting in your room all day. But, that's not how we roll....so it's been a bit frustrating. Even more frustrating is that Gonzalo is in training, so he's missing this whole terrible wonderful trip! I guess I'm too spoiled by Myrtle Beach, HHI, and all the FL beaches I've been too. I imagined this would be a little like Gulf Shores, AL or Panama City, FL...but, not even close. Until this morning, there was an enormous pipe (like 3-ft. wide) lining the WHOLE beach. And that took up most of the sand, because there isn't too much!!! So, needless to say, I'm disappointed. But maybe I'll come back....when my kids are grown. ;)

I'm sure (I think) that I'll look back on this trip and laugh...maybe? Rayven is enjoying the pool a lot, and we may even venture out to the beach tomorrow since that dreadful pipe is gone. Rylee is saying more and more words everyday...some new ones are "cup", "all gone", "thank you", and "night-night". Can't believe my baby is turning into a little girl so quickly!!

That's all for now....hope we're going home tomorrow! :)

The Month of Love!

Okay, so I'm inspired by my cousin Brookie (I luv that name!) to write about things I love this month...in the month of love! She has been blogging about something she loves almost everyday, but of course, I would wait until the last possible "love day" to write. LOL...just my style. Better late than never?

Things (and People) I Love, in no particular order:

My 2 Beautiful Daughters, which are God's greatest gifts to me
Jesus
My Wonderful, Loving Husband
My Parents
All my family & friends
The beach
Travelling
Scrapbooking
Girls' Nights
Cooking...although I HATE to clean up the mess!
A comfy pair of heels
Sweet tea
Chocolate
Reading
Singing
Listening to the rain
The smell of the ocean
Longaberger baskets
Ice cream
Taking my girls to the park to play
My cellphone :)
Reconnecting with long lost friends
Quaint small towns, although I also love big cities!
Macy's
Christmas

And I could really go on and on! I am so blessed, and so are we all. Our blessings come in so many shapes and sizes, but we are all truly blessed in one way or another. I'm thankful for all the love I have in my life, and for having so many things to love!

Have things been busy for you this "love month?" We have been busy as usual at Hotel Torres! We have had lots of fun days, and we had a great time with Karen & Brian last weekend (our friends from TN). We managed to squeeze in the rodeo, zoo, shopping, and several trips downtown into 3 short days! It was so fun and so great to see them.

Tonight, we're preparing for tomorrow's arrival of our third set of guests for the 2010 season. Our friends are coming from FINLAND! Yes, that's right. FINLAND! They will be staying with us for the next 3 weeks, and there will be much fun going on at Hotel Torres. We're so excited to see them after 2.5 years, and also to meet their newest addition, Martti. We can't wait until they arrive tomorrow night!

Here's to another month - so glad I managed to blog at least 3 times. Now I have to get better about posting pictures! Happy Valentine's Month! :)

Fun times!

I'm getting behind on this blogging thing! It's too funny....I always feel like I need to put pictures in every post, and I just downloaded all the pics on my camera today. Yipee! There were over 900....Disney World, Christmas, trips, etc....you get the idea!

So Valentine's Day was great! On Friday night, we went to our church Valentine banquet. Then on Saturday morning, we took advantage of Parent's Morning Out at our church! We left the girls there for a few hours while we had brunch on the river walk. Fun times! Saturday afternoon, Daddy took Rayven on a date to the movies while Rylee & I had a nap. :) On Sunday, we enjoyed the morning at church before Daddy had to work. All in all, it was a good weekend!

Today we had more fun on a playdate to Magik Theatre to see "If you Give a Moose a Muffin!" It was fun, and the girls had a great time. We're so busy these days, I can hardly keep up. And Hotel Torres is expecting the arrival of its next guests late tomorrow night. Another busy and fun weekend ahead!

Rylee's favorite thing these days is the cabinets! She loves to clean out a cabinet, climb inside, and shut the door while saying "BYEEEE!". It's adoreable! I've got to get some pictures of her in those cabinets. She loves them! She is saying all kinds of words, like Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Bye-Bye, Hola (yes, she's bilinguel!), Hi, Ba (for bath), and - her favorite - MY MY (for mine)!!! She is quite the talker!

Rayven is busy too! Her favorite things are games, puzzles, and "chefing", which is helping out in the kitchen. Making cookies is her favorite! She loves playdates, and she asks me every night, "MOM - what are we going to do tomorrow???" She is the social butterfly (like me?). They are both fun, and she is a great big sister!

Well, this is all for now friends. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow, in between the cleaning!! Love to all!

The Higher Calling

WOW! I'm really doing better than last year, but it's been 2 weeks since I've blogged! I can't believe how time flies when you're having fun.

So, this past weekend, I went on a cruise with 2 of my San Antonio girlfriends! Yes, this trip was husband-free AND child-free! It was 4 nights of bliss with room service, maid service, wonderful restaurants, dancing the nights away, funny shows, girl talk, and even some shopping & beach time in Mexico. PURE BLISS, I say. :)

I did miss Gonzalo & the girls while I was away, and I was a little sad (note: A LITTLE) at how well they managed on their own. Although, it may have helped that I left a 4-page letter with directions! LOL! They went to Chuck E. Cheese, had a picnic in the backyard, and even made it to church on Sunday. I'm going to make leaving a priority at least once a year...it's good bonding for Daddy-daughters, right?

One morning last week, as I'm sweeping Cheerios off the floor, I had a little twinge of longing. I missed getting all dressed up on the cruise ship. I even miss putting on my business suit and going to work! I went from making great money to somehow sweeping Cheerios off the floor. How did that happen?? And, of course, I'm still in my pj's. Doesn't seem that glamorous.

But then I'm reminded of those two precious girls that I am shaping everyday. And THAT is a full-time job! Sure, somedays I'd love to drop them at a daycare and go to work and talk to people that are taller than 3-feet. I'd love to bring home that big paycheck again and feel as if I can buy almost anything I want and not feel guilty. But this is where I'm supposed to be...sweeping up the Cheerios. It's the better (yet much harder) job of the two. Don't get me wrong, I do understand working moms...I used to be one! And if you have to work, you have to. I did. But I tell you from experience that staying home is far more work than I ever did at a job. And it's also the most rewarding!

I know there will be more times when I miss getting dressed up, bringing home a big paycheck, and adult conversation. Many more times! But I hope I remember that my job here is the most important I could ever have. And I sure hope I'm doing it well. These days will pass by so quickly...they already do. And I know then that I will be missing those Cheerios on the floor.

Whew, that makes me wanna cry!

Okay, on a happier note, here are some recent pics of the girls:

Messing around in the diaper box! :)

They are getting so big!

Christmas Eve, by the tree!

Pink Baby....Lost Again

Well, we lost "pink baby"....AGAIN. The story of pink baby goes like this: I gave Rayven this doll on her very first Christmas! It was a pink rattle doll that says "Just Stay Little" on the front by Carter's. She is a very important member of our family!

A year ago when we moved in our house, we lost the original doll. We came to do our last walk-through on our home, and she must have left it in here. When the cleaning service came to clean, we can only guess that they threw it away! So, that was the first time we lost her....and we both cried. But we found another one on e-bay!

And yesterday we went for ice cream....and baby never made it home. The ice cream store hasn't found it, so we guess some other little girl or boy took it home with them! She was carrying Mammaw's purse when she left, but apparently Mammaw didn't make sure she had baby in the car!

I didn't cry this time, but I felt like it....a lot. I just can't stand the thoughts of her having to be without a "baby". She is growing up too fast anyway, and I do want her to "just stay little!" So, I found another baby on e-bay..... And we're going to leave it home this time! :)