We're Back....

And I'm exhausted! Marissa did well. Heck, all our kiddos did well. Great actually. Between flights, long days at the conference, and crazy schedules....we didn't just survive. We learned. Had fun. Oh, and put on a great show!!

Now we're home. And I'm so exhausted, our are bags are still sitting in the garage. Except Maribel's. But we all know her. She had to put everything away. Immediately! Mommy? Not so much. I've just been trying to get everyone, back into their schedules.

For example, this afternoon/night are going to be nuts!! I pick up the big girls from school, get them to dance practice. Manage some quick snacks in there. Pray and hope everything gets done. Pick up the girls. Make it to the soccer fields in time. Oh, and dinner....

I bet you're wondering about our dinner. So am I!! I found this recipe a few weeks ago. Right now, it's bubbling away. And smells pretty wonderful!! This morning, David made some tostada shells, and pico de gallo. I'm making guacamole in a bit. And well, our crock pot will be heading to the fields with us.



It does look tasty. And let me tell you, it smells yummy!! I'm also packing some fruit. And perhaps, we might stop for ice cream. You know, after the soccer game. Speaking of, when did life get so busy? When did my youngest, decide soccer was his life? I'm starting to really feel like, a mommy of 5!!

Just For Mommy

Life is getting into a nice little routine. The girls are loving school. Which honestly, isn't a big surprise to me. I still can't believe I have a kindergartner, and a 1st grader. When did this happen?

Silently, I'm excited that Mariella, decided not to go to pre-school this year. I'm being a little selfish here. But I'm happy that she's home, with the twins and I. At least for one more year. And I'm 100% positive that David, is happy too! One less tuition. At least for another year. :)

But our little routine is getting set. Every morning, David and the girls are gone before 7am. Completely ready, to start their days. Yes, they've even had breakfast! I don't know how they do it. Oh, yes I do!! We've managed to keep our little routine from last year.

Somehow, we keep the twins and Mariella in bed. David is up making breakfast. And I'm getting Marissa and Maribel ready for the day. They eat a yummy lunch at school. And I only have to worry about "Snack Days," twice a month.

After they're gone, the twins, Mariella, and I have our breakfast. While enjoying Sesame Street. Yes, in english and spanish!! It's a MUST in our home. :) Honestly, we just enjoy the quiet. It's the only "quiet time" we have, while our kiddos are awake.

We then get ready, and head out. Mariella has gymnastics. And we run a few errands. Before making it home. You know, at the "heat" of the day. Can you believe, we're still have 100+ temps? Ugh! Where is Fall?

When we get home, we typically have lunch. Then my kiddos go down for a nap. I'm a little spoiled here. My kiddos take a 2 hour nap!! Yes, I said 2 hours. During which, I'm finding a little more "Me" time.

Typically, this didn't happen. Just a few months ago, it meant quickly cleaning up the house. Doing piles, and piles of laundry. Just trying to keep up with my kiddos, hubby, and the house. These says, Chente and I have some time to just relax.

I try to catch up on General Hospital. And maybe even The Chew, and The Nate Berkus Show. You know, I have them recorded on tivo. And eventually, they NEED to be watched! All the while, Chente is napping. But I'm starting to feel like I need a hobby. Real bad.

I took to Pinterest. Man, you can get lost there, for hours and hours!! There is so much information and inspiration, on Pinterest. That's where I found this little project...



Before my friends start laughing, yes I'm going to craft! I need a hobby. Something to fill my time. You know, now that all my kiddos are potty trained, can play alone, and have their own activities....mommy's a little bored.

I'm going to make a few of these bangles. Just like this. But in a more "Selena" color pallet. Then maybe some with my kids' names. And a few with cute sayings (things David and I tell each other.)

Are there any crafts out there, that you would recommend? Something for a new "Crafty Mom." Something I can handle. Please let me know! Because it's nice to do fun little things for yourself. You know, every once in a while. Like during those precious 2 hours, every day!!

For the Birds

It's Summer! My older girls, I can tell they're getting a little bored. I can just see it all over them! You see, we have ridiculous weather here. Weather that is happy to stay 100+ for weeks at a time. Most of the time we're well over 105 degrees.

I know. My kiddos would enjoy, staying in the pool all day long! But with 5 of them, and 1 of me, that's not a possibility. Not even close!! We only go in the pool, when David is home. That means, I must come up with some good ideas. You know, to keep Familia G happy.

It's crazy. Especially being that my husband works, 7 days a week. No, really. Monday-Friday he has his job. You know, where he has a career, as an engineer. Then on the weekends, he's working with the Mariachi. We're sorta used to this. You know when we have a routine.

But now that it's Summer, our routine has changed. Marissa is in Summer Camp. Because, well she needs it. We need it. I NEED it!! But that's only during the week. On the weekends, I've got everyone. By myself!!

I turned to Pinterest. I needed a plan. For this past weekend. My husband was working all weekend. And I just knew, Marissa and I would butt heads. We needed a plan.

Well, turns out, we had some fun projects to tackle. That honestly, kept everyone busy. And happy! What did we work on? Something for our little feathered friends. :)



Now if you're asking yourself...."What is this?" It's a bird feeder. Shut up! I know. Just call me "Crafty Mommy." We made 3. Maribel and Marissa each had their own. The 3 youngins' and I, worked on another.

These lovely feeders, are made with slinkies! Shut your mouth!! That's what I said. A slinky, some wire, a bit of paint, and bird feed....made for hours and hours of fun! And I'm 100% positive that our feathered friends, were happy with our crafting too!

Play Doh

I'm pretty sure my parents hate me. They bought our girls this big pack of Play Doh. And today, I was trying to be a good mom. I let them play with it. Like always, Maribel played nicely. She didn't mix the colors. Or put the Play Doh in the grass or dirt. She didn't throw it into the pool. No, that would be Mariella.

We played outside with the Play Doh. Because I didn't want to find it in our carpet, on the curtains, or in the furniture. So after 2 hours, we headed back in. All Play Doh was confiscated. Put away in the garage. Out of my little girls' reach.

Then after bedtime, I found it. In the carpet. Blue Play Doh in our light carpet. And I couldn't get it out. Good thing David is patient. After the clean up, we went to sit on the couch. Watch some TV. Pink Play Doh was between the cushions. How does this happen? I know I took it all away from Mariella.

I'm wondering, did she hide some? Is she just trying to drive her mom crazy? What's up? Note to all grandparents, no Play Doh, markers, finger paints, etc. Not until our youngest 2 are at least 4. Then we might be able to deal...

Friends

Friends are pretty amazing. They're right there when you need them. You never have to ask for them. You never have to tell them what's wrong, they're just there.

On Friday, both of our older girls had events to go to. My parents were taking my grandma to the doctor. David's parents were busy. David had to work. And well, these days, it's tough for me to get out of the house. Breastfeeding twins is a FULL TIME JOB! But I do love it.

Maribel asked her Nono (Albert) to take her to her dance performance. And Marissa called up her Tia Bonita (Lola.) She had a field trip to the park and the museum. Tia Bonita immediately said yes. I know it was going to be tough for her. Being that she was supposed to be across the country. But she came.

And our girls had a blast! Maribel did so good. And Albert even recorded it for us to watch. :) Marissa had a great time too! And she even talked Tia Bonita and Tio Berto into taking them out for pizza. From what I hear, Marissa "bought" Maribel dinner. She has a bunch of those free pizza coupons from school. Because my daughter reads and reads. The coupons are their rewards.

But we've got some pretty amazing friends. This is just 1 example of our amazing friends. I never used to understand the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." But now, I know that is true. There are so many things our kids would miss out on.

Our friends are always doing things like this. Borrowing our kids to go to the library, store, or the park. Papa Memo coming and picking up our girls to take them for a sleepover and cooking. The girls really enjoy that.

But then there are things like when Lola comes over for a visit. And I'm looking like a "hot mess." Just ready to fall apart. And she tells me to hand over my screaming babies. Mariella is running around, Marissa is asking a million questions, and Maribel is quietly playing. That's a pretty average day around here.

Lola sends me to my room to just collect my thoughts. And she is wonderful with my kids. By the time I come back out, my bigger girls are happily coloring. And my twins are laughing away in their little chairs. How she does it, I'll never know. But Lola really does need to have children.
She just knows that I need some time. And she gives me 5 minutes. Heck, one time I took a nap. A 2 hour nap. And the kids and Lola were just having a good time. That's what good friends are. People who come running to you when you need help. They're there for you during the good times and the bad.

David and I are so lucky to have amazing friends. All of our friends. But especially Albert, Memo, and Lola. Thank you guys from the bottom of my heart. I know I couldn't survive most days without you. Your friendship means the world to me!

Typical Summer in the Desert

June was horrible! It was all about the typical summer heat in the desert. Horribly hot. My girls wanted to play outside. But we couldn't take the heat. The AC was on 24/7. And around 8pm, we'd all head outside to our pool. In all honesty, the only cool time of day was between 6-8am. My girls and I lived for that time of day. And then, we all took 4 hour naps in the middle of the day.

Now, it's nearly July. The Monsoon Season is beginning. And the typical dry and hot summer days are turning quickly into muggy stormy evenings and nights. I love it! So do our kids. Because the temps have dropped at least 15 degrees in the past week. It means mornings spent outside. Playing and gardening. Even the twins are enjoying it. :)

Typical Busy Day

Today has been a typical busy day for our familia. Filled with a little more drama than usual. But typical in most ways.

David took Marissa to camp esta manana. I stayed home to get the girls ready. We dropped Maribel off at dance practice. She cried for 20 minutes because Lauren is visiting her grandparents and wasn't there. They are so close and don't like to be at dance without each other. I felt her pain. And at the last minute, almost convinced myself that my 2 year old daughter would be better off going to the doctor with us. But I knew better.

Mariella was cool as a cucumber. Didn't cry. Just played with David in the car as Maribel almost convinced me to take her with us. I knew, had it been David, Maribel would have missed dance until Lauren gets back. But somehow things went well. She was all smiles by the time her teacher came out. And she ran into class dressed in her purple tutu!

We made it to the doctor 10 minutes before my appointment. Baby #4 is doing well. We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat. The sound is always such a miracle to me. David was so excited. He immediately grabbed my hand. We always feel so blessed at that moment. It's like the heartbeat solidifies that there really is a baby in there!

Mariella even got in on the action. She was very excited at the sound. I still wonder if she understands. Maribel was that way when I was pregnant with Mariella. Like she knew what was going on. And as my pansa grew, she would lay on my lap and rub it. She would make little sounds against my pansa, and Mariella would move around in there. Like they were talking to each other.

After the appointment we went to lunch. I'm still having some strong morning sickness. And why do they call it that? I am sick all day. Not just in the morning! But I attempted a salad and part of a sub. We went to Dion's. David enjoyed lunch. And Mariella tried to eat like her daddy. But just couldn't get the entire sandwich in her bocita. Eventually, she just ate the meat and tomatoes. We picked up Maribel and headed home.

David had to go to work right away. But he put Mariella down for a nap first. He is just able to calm her down like no one else. She goes from a 10 to a 1 in a blink of an eye. Had it been me, it would have taken 3 hours. Then I would have to put a sleeping baby in the car to go pick up Marissa. Bless mi esposo! With Mariella down for a nap, Maribel had her lunch. Then she showed me her dance that she learned this morning. She is a "lerina" through and through. No doubt in my mind.

We sat on the couch to read a book. Before we got to page 3, she was out like a light. Still not feeling good, I just sat there holding my baby girl. The next thing I knew, I was waking up. Because I could hear Mariella trying to desperately climb out of her crib. My baby is like a monkey. No lie! Maribel was also waking up. And I was trying to figure out what in the world I could make for dinner. Cooking is not at all my strong point.

David didn't have to work long, and on his way home, he picked up Marissa from her day camp. Only my 3 yr old cries to go to camp and school! And the minute she walked in the door, the house came to life. The girls had been quietly playing with Chente (our dog.) Marissa comes in baring gifts for all. It was craft day at camp. That is one thing I have to say, she always thinks of all of us.

Mi esposo got to cooking. And I tried to keep the peace in the house. Before long Marissa and David were fighting over the futbol (soccer) game. By this time, David is wearing his Mexico jersy. Marissa is jumping up and down. Cheering for the USA. Dinner was almost too much. My futbol fans were too excited to really be bothered with comida. Pero, dinner was dinner.

For whatever reason, Maribel and Mariella were tired. They didn't last long after dinner. Chente ran for dear life and hide out under the crib. He was fast asleep as I could her Marissa desperately hunting him down. But her dad got her distracted with the game again. Before I knew it, David was carrying her to bed. They were just dropping like flies tonight. I think it has something to do with the changing weather.

As quiet took over our house again, I finally got to the computer. I signed up for twitter. Manders and la Chiquitita finally convinced me to go for it. But I have to say, it is nice to follow the ABC news team. David is still on cloud 9 about Mexico's win. I am ready for bed. And my husband is eating a bowl of ice cream.

Mexico wins!