So Much to Thank Him For

Well if READING about our October made you tired, wait until you see November! ;)

Actually, we enjoyed a fun month, doing lots of school work and getting ready for Turkey Day. Here are some things that I'm very thankful for this year:

1. Diva poses caught on film. :)

2. Matching outfits (I'm a BIT obsessed).

3. Laugh OUT LOUD smiles from this little girl.

4. The love of two sisters. :)

5. Making fun party food with my girls (faces by Destiny, lol).

6. A class of homeschoolers, for Rayven to join on her Kindergarten journey.

7. Special memories with my kiddos.

8. A fun trip to the zoo with friends on Thanksgiving Eve:

9. A table runner that Destiny helped me make! Placemats to follow for 2011!!! ;)

10. Food on our Thanksgiving table.

11. Priceless smiles.



12. God's greatest gift to me, next to Jesus - my family.

On our table runner, we each wrote the things we're thankful for this year.

Rayven's list:

1. Makeup (which she isn't allowed to wear out of the house! lol)

2. Nail Polish

3. My family

4. God

Rylee's list:

1. God

2. Famwee (family)

3. Elmo's World

I hope all of you had a blessed Thanksgiving filled with the things you love most!

Super Fun Fall!

Rather than TELL you how busy our October has been, I thought I would show you some fun highlights from it!! I do love a great blog, but sometimes life gets so hectic that I forget to write it all down! But here are some super moments that make me love my life...

October always has a fun visit to a pumpkin patch! This year, we went to Devine Acres. It was loads of fun, as you can see! The girls enjoyed posing with the pumpkins...



Painting pretty pumpkins...




A cool barrel train ride...




A super-fun hay ride...





And some more fun photos! The day we went, it was cloudy and cool, until the sun peeked out and warmed us up. Perfect TX weather! We had a blast, and we'll definitely go back to this fun farm next year!

And as fun as pumpkin patches are, we can't get around October without a BIRTHDAY PARTY for Rayven! This year's theme was cowgirls & cowboys, and we had a lot of fun with it. Rayven requested that we get a pony for the kiddos to ride, and he just happened to come with a small petting zoo! The Torres Ranch was in high action mode!

Everyone enjoying a great time...

Rayven & her peeps

Pony rides to go around!

The birthday girl with her cupcakes!

And the loot!!

And of course, we have to throw in the Halloween fun too! Tonight was super. We went to a Halloween fun festival at our church first, and then we headed home to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. All the neighbors make it so fun for the kids!

All dressed up and posing...

Proud of their pumpkins!

Ready for CANDY!!!

Some of our Rayven's friends from the neighborhood...

Rylee & her peeps...

All in all, what a FUN October we've had! Even though we DIDN'T get to go on a cruise (LOOOONG story), we had a blast here. Thank you, God, for a beautiful fall with lots of memories made with our family!!

Happy 6th Birthday, Rayven!

I can't believe I've been a mommy for SIX years!! Where has the time gone? I remember Rayven's birthday, just like it was yesterday....

On Saturday, October 16, 2004, I had a baby shower at the church where I grew up....lots of people and presents! And then on Sunday, October 17, I had a shower with co-workers and friends in Kingsport (where we lived at the time). My mom came home with me that weekend to take care of all the gifts. On Monday we sorted it all out, on Tuesday we returned some things in town, and Wednesday, we headed to Knoxville for my 34-week check up (and also to hit Babies R Us!!). That Wednesday, October 20, I never expected my life to change so quickly. After all, I HAD SIX WEEKS LEFT!!! :)

I went to my appointment and right away the nurse said that my blood pressure was high. VERY HIGH. So they had me lie on my left side so they could take it again. And again. Then Dr. Hays came in and told me the news: NO BABIES R US TODAY!!!! What?? Surely he was mistaken. I HAD to get these things returned and get home to finish the nursery! I had lots to do, and it wasn't time yet. I certainly didn't have time to be in the hospital!! What was he thinking?

I was admitted that day, and the next time I would see home, it would be with my brand-new baby girl, Rayven, on Saturday, Oct. 30. We didn't have a crib. We didn't even have a bassinette yet! Or a car seat, stroller, or (clean) clothes!! But, we managed. I learned that day - and have been learning since that day - that parenting rarely goes as I have "planned". But usually, that turns out better than I think it will! Why do I think I know it all anyway?? ;)

Rayven was born at 5:10 PM on Monday, October 25, 2004, via c-section. They put me in labor the day before around noon - it was about time! I was very sick, because of the blood pressure mediciation they gave me. But I was so happy to meet her...TINY, little her. She weighed 4 lbs., 11 oz., and she was 18 inches long. I knew babies were small, but she was SO SMALL! Gonzalo's hand looked so much bigger than her little head!

She was born sassy, and she still is. But I like her that way. She is so much like me that I sometimes want to scream!! She speaks her mind, and she can negotiate her way out of - almost - anything. She has big plans, and she makes sure I know about them on a daily basis. "MOM - how about we go to a playdate, then we'll have lunch at Chick-fil-A, and THEN we'll have a tea party while Rylee takes a nap. That's a GREAT plan, right MOM?" How can I argue with that? She is MY daughter, that's for sure.

Today we spent her birthday having fun with our MOPS friends. We made pink cupcakes with pink icing & sprinkles to take to her class. She has a HUGE crush on a boy named Cade, so I was happy to see him there today (so was SHE!)! After MOPS, we came home and she accidently fell asleep while reading in her room. I guess birthdays are hard work! When Daddy came home from work, we went to Olive Garden to celebrate, which was her choice. We'll have the big birthday party this weekend, and she is SO excited!

She loves Hannah Montana, and she also loves to sing. She is doing great in school, and she's starting to read more and more. Art is her favorite subject of all, and she loves to paint or make crafts. She is a very good student, most of the time! She loves friends, and she constantly likes to be on the "go". I'm not sure where she gets that from....oh yeah, ME! She is becoming very helpful around the house, and also with her sister. I love watching how they play together more often now. They are really best friends!

I'm so thankful that God trusted me with this little girl, and that He blessed me to be a M-O-M. I hope I will always trust Him to guide me and help me be the mom I should be. We all love you, Rayven, and we're so happy you're in our lives. Happy Birthday!!

What I LOVE About Fall

I can't believe that today is the last day of September!! I wanted to get a quick post in for things I love about fall....

1. Caramel Apple Coffee Creamer

2. Pumpkins

3. Falling Leaves

4. Cooler Temperatures

5. My Birthday! ;)

More to come tomorrow.....

Another New Chapter!

As much as I still can't believe my little Rylee is 2, I also can't believe it's time already for Rayven to start Kindergarten! So many of my friends yesterday dropped off their babies for the very first time, and I sympathize. It's so hard to let them go, and it's also hard to accept that the "preschool" chapter of life has come to an end...

So before I tell you about our first day of Kindergarten, let me rewind about 18 months. It was February 2009, and we had just moved to TX. As a matter of fact, we were staying in nearby Canyon Lake for one week while we waited to close on our house. And it was THERE that it hit me: God was tugging at my heart to HOMESCHOOL Rayven. ME? Lord? Are you sure??? I'm not patient enough. We won't get along. I'll be so TIED DOWN!! I'm looking forward to going back to work when both the girls are in school. I'm sure I can't do this. As many excuses as I had NOT to do it, the tugging kept getting stronger. So I asked God to show me a sign. A billboard. A note from Him. A burning bush?? :) ANYTHING to make it clear to me that this is my path. And the VERY next day, I went to the clubhouse to do a little Longaberger work. Mind you, there's almost NO ONE at a resort area in February in the middle of the week, but there was one lady, and she happened to sit at the ONLY table with an outlet, which I needed for my computer. I asked to share her table, and she gladly agreed. We began talking over the laptops, and then her son walked up. YEP. She was a homeschooler.

Ok Lord, this must be a coincidence. There is no way I'm going to do what SHE'S doing. My kids will be weird. They won't be social. They won't get to go to PROM!!!! Please, show me again if this is what you want from me. I prayed. And I prayed a LOT. And then that Friday, we finally moved into our house. And guess what? Our neighbors are very friendly. :) The ones who live just next door came right over to welcome us. And they have 2 little girls, close in age to my 2. And guess what else? They were about to start homeschooling their oldest for Kindergarten. Again....right there in my face. So God affirmed to me that this was my path, and that I CAN do this. But there was one more thing...Gonzalo.

I decided soon after we moved in, that I would discuss homeschooling with him and get his opinion about what I felt led to do. Much to my surprise, he was COMPLETELY against it, for a lot of the same reasons I was. He argued that our kids wouldn't be social, that they would miss out on the real world, and that I probably wanted to do it so I wouldn't have to get up early or rearrange vacations around school. Hmmm...good points! So I prayed: Lord, you KNOW I can't go against my husband. This must be something I've just got in MY head. This must not be from You, Lord. I can't change his mind. And that, my friends, was my ticket out of this journey. I thought, WHEW, that was close!!! :)

Although I still knew in my heart that homeschooling was what I wanted, I only mentioned it to him maybe one more time. He is very easy going, but when he is against something, he doesn't change his mind. After 7 years of marriage, this is one thing I know!! :) I accepted that she would be going to school, so I made preparations last year to get her ready for Kindergarten. I put her in Mother's Day Out 2 days a week to get her adjusted to "going" somewhere. I even planned our summer trips BEFORE school started. And then one day last October, he came home from work. I will never forget this day as long as I live! We had finished dinner, and he was wiping down the high chair. Without even looking at me, he said, "If you're still willing to homeschool the girls, I think it's what we should do." WHAT?????? Are you SURE??? I had already accepted that she would go to "real school". But at that point, I knew this was a "God thing", because only God could have changed his mind.

Fast forward to NOW. We started Kindergarten yesterday! I wanted to get going so that we will finish in Mid-May. We had a lot of fun!! I hope today goes as smoothly as yesterday did. I'm still nervous about teaching reading, but I know with His help, I can do this! Here are some pics of our first day.... She is such a big girl! ;)

My Baby....is TWO!

Really, I'm getting bad at this blogging thing, people! We have had a jet-setting summer, as most of our friends would say. From our trip in May to New Mexico & Arizona, we haven't slowed down a bit. In July we celebrated our precious Rylee's second birthday!

I can't believe she is actually TWO... where has the time gone by? She is so sweet, and she is a cuddler. She loves to do everything big sis does, and she throws a huge fit when things don't go her way. She may be passionate like her mommy! ;) I love how she is so into baby dolls, and she has about 10 things she sleeps with every night (her favorites are Lelly & Puppy). She is growing up into quite the little lady, and it keeps me busy doing her hair, makeup, and perfume. She is obsessed with jewelry too! She loves to dress up, especially when Rayven dresses her up in her clothes. Big sister's closet seems like her fave place to be! Here are some pics of a photo shoot we did with my friend. She looks like such a big girl!


Here are some pics of the big birthday girl enjoying her day. Can't believe she's already two.... Did I say that already? :)

Happy Birthday, Rylee! You are such a wonderful little girl, and we love you so much!

Home Sweet Home

The girls with my parents

Rylee ready for the 4th of July

Rylee & cousin Danika



Rayven ready for July 4th




The art of Tree Climbing
(thanks, Uncle Kenny!)

Well...it's been awhile since I've blogged! My goal of once per week isn't panning out so well...but I really HAVE been busy!

This week, I've been in TN with my mom & dad, and then tomorrow morning, we're off to the beach. I've had a great time catching up with friends and family, but the week has gone by so fast!! I have been missing Gonzalo & home, but there are a few things I want to remember about this trip "home" to TN:

1. My parents don't have internet. But my kids think it's the most fun place in the WORLD.

2. My mom's kitchen is TINY. I mean, TINY. But - wow - she is the best cook ever.

3. My parents don't have central heat/AC. But the sound of the window air conditioner in our room upstairs will make Rylee sleep through ANYTHING - even a 1 AM game of Mexican dominoes with me, mom, my niece, & nephews.

4. My parents only have 1 bathroom...yes, ONE. We've learned a lot about SHARING this week. ;) After all, they did raise 4 kids in this house!

5. Some members of my family are some of my very best friends. :)

6. Dogs + my girls = PURE BLISS.

7. Mayfield ice cream really is 10 times better than BlueBell (sorry Texans) will ever be. Moose Tracks it is!!

8. I really miss Starbucks..... More than I should! LOL.

9. The mountains here are more beautiful than I remember...

10. When my parents are no longer here, I'm going to miss home - and them - like crazy.

Hope you're all having a great July, and I'll catch up sooner than later. Cheers, friends!