Baby, It's COOOOLD Outside!

Okay, I realize that I didn't even blog ONCE in January! I'm sure all of my faithful followers are checking each and every day to see....what did I say? What are we doing? Did I write? What's going on??? Just kidding, I know I'm not that special! ;)

What we have been doing the past few days is STAYING IN! Even though I'm at stay-at-home mom, I don't stay at home that often, as all my friends know. I am happy to report that I FINALLY took the last Christmas tree down...on January 31. No wonder I didn't have time to blog! I'm going to question my sanity next year if I drag out all 7 trees again!

It was 80 degrees in San Antonio, just 3 days ago. I wore capris and flip-flops, and the girls played outside for literally HOURS. Today? Today, it's 23 degrees out! Last night when we came home from Girl Scouts, it was only 19! One of the main reasons I moved to Texas was the SUNSHINE! But, I guess a girl can't everything she wants ALL the time, right?

Right now, all I want is a fireplace. And some hot cocoa. And a thick, furry blanket. And a few hours to myself to READ a book. OH yeah, but there's homeschool work to be done, laundry to be folded, sitter jobs to be booked, papers to be filed, taxes to be done, dishes to be washed, and dinner to be cooked. Maybe I should be wishing for a maid instead! :)

2010:The Year in Review!

Okay, so of course it was a completely busy December....as I'm finding out that they all are as a homeschooling, work-at-home mommy of 2 delightful girls, and a professional volunteer. Did I tell you that I'm tired? :)

Here are our most memorable moments of 2010, by month:

January: We started our New Year off with a bang by going to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The girls always enjoy riding rides, and we had lots of fun looking at the lights! Since Hotel Torres enjoys company, my mom & Donna came for a visit. They stayed about 10 days, and we had a lot of fun! Then I finished off January with a Christmas gift from Gonzalo - a 4-night cruise to Cozymel, Mexico, with two of my best girl friends. He even stayed home with the girls! Wow! That was a great beginning, but the year got even better....

February: Rodeo time in San Antonio! Not only did the Rodeo come to town, but my wonderful friend Karen & her hubby Brian came for a long weekend visit. We had sooo much fun at the River Walk, Alamo, Rodeo, zoo, and anything else we could cram into 4 days! We also had some fun playdates in February, and Rylee learned about hiding in the kitchen cabinets...she is resourceful! At one playdate, we had a Mary Kay lady come and put make-up on us. The girls had a blast!

March: Hotel Torres was hopping again with some more special visitors. Our friends, Markus & Krisse (and baby Martti), came to visit us from Helsinki, Finland! They were here for almost 3 weeks, and we loved every minute. We visited all the touristy things of San Antonio, and we even went down to South Padre Island for a week. (To say that I was disappointed in South Padre? Well, that would be the understatement of the year....). I wish Finland wasn't so far away, because we have lots of fun everytime they visit us! We also took some fun pictures of the girls in the Texas bluebonnets. They bloom everywhere in March, and they are so beautiful!

April: We didn't have any guests at Hotel Torres in April, but we did manage to sqeeze in some fun. We had a great time at Easter with egg hunts and festivities, and we made "bunny cakes" for some special friends. We also saw "Pinkalicious" at Magik Theatre - our favorite! We discovered the Witte Museum of San Antonio, and we had a great time there too.

May: This was another crazy-busy month! Gonzalo & I went to an AWESOME concert featuring Reba & George Strait, along with LeeAnn Womack and the Randy Rogers Band. It was so much fun! We also purchased a business during the month, which was unexpected but welcomed. The same week, my parents came to visit and we all went to New Mexico and Arizona for 10 days. It was a wonderful trip! My dad has always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, so I am so happy we got to go there. It was lots of fun! We also finished up Rayven's spring soccer, mother's day out program, and AWANA Cubbies in May.

June: June was a little more laid back, with not as much craziness going on! We spent lots of time in the pool, which the girls love. I got to see a country music icon - Loretta Lynn - in concert with two friends. It was awesome! My niece, Jessi, came to visit us for a week, and it was tons of fun too. We did lots of things, and then she also rode home with me and the girls to Tennessee....

July: We spent the first two weeks of July in Tennessee/South Carolina visiting with family! I love going back home to Tennessee, but I also love the beach! After spending about a week in TN with my family, we headed to Myrtle Beach, SC with mom, my SIL Donna, and my aunt. We had a wonderful time (minus the fact that both Rylee & I got sick!). My girls love the beach, and it was waaaaay better than South Padre! :) We ended the month celebrating Rylee's 2nd birthday with a Minnie Mouse party at Just Add Children. I still can't believe she's two!!

August: I began August heading to Orlando, FL for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Convention. It was so much fun, and just what I needed! I met lots of wonderful ladies that I still talk to on a weekly basis. I love all that MOPS does for ladies, and I am so happy to be involved with it! After convention, we took a family vacation to Panama City Beach, FL for one last summer blow-out. I hadn't been there in a while, and it was even better than I remembered! Gonzalo and I even managed to squeeze in a few date nights, thanks to a sitter service. :) I also happily discovered that my cousin lives there now, so we saw her too! When we got home, we got to see my nephew, John, for the weekend before he deployed to Iraq. We made precious memories, and we can't wait to see him again! Then it was time to start school with Rayven...and we've been homeschooling ever since!

September: Gonzalo had to work a lot that month, and I only remember that he missed my birthday AND our anniversary! But we did go to Six Flags for Labor Day weekend, the girls and I with some friends. That was fun. I was also happy to see MOPS & AWANA start back. The rest of the month? I'm not sure how I lost it, but I think I did...

October: This is always a fun one, but this one was bittersweet. We were supposed to go on a cruise, but the girls and I didn't get to go because Carnival Cruiselines is a SCAM! More on that another time... We celebrated Gonzalo's Birthday, as well as Rayven's 6th birthday. She had a cowgirl party at home, with her new Rainbow Playset, that we love! (I love this, because the girls will play OUTSIDE while I cook dinner, lol). We also had a visit from my parents, and my brother Kenny and SIL Donna. They got to cruise, but we didn't. Next time, but we're going with Royal Carribbean!!

November: In November, we finally tracked down a Girl Scout troop for Rayven to join. She is having so much fun as a Daisy Scout! We also spent a very quiet Thanksgiving at home, with all the trimmings. Then my friend Destiny and I shopped ALL NIGHT LONG and part of the morning on Black Friday. We are surely crazy, but we got some great deals! :)

December: It's been a blur of Christmas parties, too many goodies, shopping, tree trimming, etc. But it was oh so fun! We had another quiet holiday at home, but it was so fun for the 4 of us to be together! The girls each got three gifts. Rayven's favorite was her Nintendo DS, and Rylee's favorite is a Little Tikes Playhouse. She plays in it for hours a day! We enjoyed going to "Dickens on Main" in Boerne, and we also saw the lights at Six Flags this week. It's been a fun end to 2010, and I can't wait to see what 2011 holds!!

Happy New Year!

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! ;)