Postre

After every lunch and dinner I give my kids postre (dessert) and have been doing so since they began eating real food. It will vary between a bowl of fruit, some cookies, ice cream, jello, whatever sweet thing is in the fridge/pantry. Today I made them one of their favorites: Banana Beach. Its just a sliced banana with cinnamon sprinkled on top (today I threw in a few marshmallows too) and an umbrella. And if you're wondering how it is that I just happen to always have these mini umbrellas in my cabinet, then you don't know me very well. Anyway, I just wanted to include this insignificant post that wont make anybody laugh or cry because I know some day when I am old and gray it will be meaningful to remember the simple little things that used to make us so happy.

Singing in the Rain

I complained to my teacher at the parenting class I am taking about how crazy my boys were during the week of non-stop rain and how I couldn't control them. She and the other moms suggested I take them out in the rain for a walk to burn off energy and because they would enjoy it.

AND ENJOY IT THEY DID!

"Mom, this is the most wonderfullest day ever!" and afterwards they were complete ANGELS for the rest of the day!!! Who knew?

A classic.

I have a pile of books, classic children's stories, that I've been holding aside to read to my kids for the first time, for a long time. I've been waiting for the right moment, when they might actually get the point. Well, with them being "school aged" now, and with Mario (the bedside story reader) gone I thought this would be the perfect time to break them out. From this secret stash I've now read Where The Wild Things Are and afterwards had them laughing and begging for more.

Also, lately I've been joking about the 4, 500 + days I have left until they all go away to college but then I went and read The Runaway Bunny and I swear I almost cried. LOL. Emma couldn't get enough of that one. I've also read Happy Birthday Moon and The Beast in the Bathtub and always after each reading they all say, "Mas Mama! Read it again!"

And then there was tonight.

The Giving Tree. As I held it in my hands, in a very early edition, sewed on pages, torn and worn corners and all, I wondered what reaction I would get. I read to them how the tree gave the boy its apples, then its branches, and finally its trunk as a testament of what true love really is, and they protested "noooooo" and "awwww" with so much conviction that I began to wonder if maybe I was wrong in having held back these books for all these years. But as I turned the last page, after the tree gave the elderly boy all she had left, her stump, and read the final words "And the tree was happy. The End" I looked up and saw Roman sitting up in his bed, with tears in his eyes, his first real tears, completely moved by the message in the story, I knew this was the right time.

I hope my children continue to connect with the stories they read, and build a love for books and stories with meaning. I hope they see that for every book that makes you laugh, there is one that makes you feel. And that feeling is owning, and owning is learning, and learning is growing, and growing is life. And this life is all we have to make the most of. This is only the beginning but I think we're off to a good start.

From this moment...

(To honor my 100th blog post, just as it was hand written in my diary in the spring on 2005)

She said, “I have news for you. The pregnancy test came back positive. You’re pregnant.”

I had her on speaker phone and at that moment we all started screaming. She gave me some instructions on what to do next, which I didn’t hear but fortunately Jen did and wrote them down for me. I just remember hugging and crying with Mario, both of us in total disbelief.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

I ran upstairs to tell my mom the news as Mario and Jen begged me not to run anymore. She hugged me and told me she was so happy for us. Honestly, the whole moment felt so surreal. It had been a long 8 year road of trying and wishing and crying and giving up and trying again. We’d come full circle so many times. We honestly didn’t think this would ever work. But somehow, this time it had.

From then on every week became a mini milestone and at six weeks we went in to hear the heartbeats. This terrified me because last time this is where our story ended. But this time, as I lay on the examination table, things were different. Doctor Nelson scanned me with the ultrasound probe and said, “Well, this here is Baby A. This is the heartbeat.” And I started to cry. How could something so tiny be so full of life? A single heartbeat is the difference between life and death and my baby was alive! Alive inside of ME! “And this over here is Baby B. And this is its heartbeat.”

What? Did we hear what we thought we heard? Baby A and Baby B? “Twins? We’re having twins?”

“You are.” Mario’s smile froze on his face. My tears stopped coming. And we just looked at one another and time stood still. How could we be so lucky? “OK, get dressed.” And we were left in the room by ourselves, the four of us. We hugged, still in a trance, until we finally felt it. This was real.

The next two weeks I could think of nothing else. We were afraid to start telling people but didn’t want to be pessimistic either. The day we planned to tell Mario’s family was that Saturday. We were going to drive down there, have dinner with them, and break open the big news.

I was so excited to be pregnant, and for some odd reason felt like I was already showing, so we went to A Pea in the Pod to buy me a new maternity outfit. I was in the dressing room with Mario when I felt it. Warm and wet. No…no…no. I looked down and there it was. Blood. We both froze. It wasn’t fair! How did we deserve this? Hadn’t we been through enough?

We walked quickly out of the store and into the parking lot where we found a bench for me to sit on while Mario ran to get the car. This very sweet girl came out of nowhere and sat next to me. She asked me what was wrong and when I told her she began to comfort me. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll stay until your husband picks you up. I won’t leave you here alone.” She held my hand and waited with me. She told me she had a baby too and that she understood how scared I must feel. When Mario pulled up she helped me get in the car and told us to drive slowly and safely. “Don’t worry,” she said, “Everything is going to be alright.” Then she reached over to my hands and placed in them three very pretty pink polka dot tissues. Then she stood there and watched us drive away.

Days later I found myself wondering about that girl. Who was she? Where did she come from? Did God intentionally place her in my path? Was she an angel? Was she my Virgen de Guadalupe? Was she my unborn sister or deceased grandmother? Was she ever there? Was she real at all? I now believe there are special beings amongst us that are meant to appear at the right time to lend a helping hand and make you see that you are not alone in the world. And she was one of them. And I thank her.

As we drove to the ER I called the fertility clinic. The doctor on call told us to turn the car around and head home. He said it was probably nothing and that I should stay off my feet. He also said that if it was a miscarriage, the hospital ER could do nothing to stop it. So we went home, I got in bed, prayed and cried, and eventually the bleeding stopped. Mario ended up telling his mother that we were pregnant with twins over the phone.

Monday afternoon we went in to the doctor’s office for an ultrasound, to see if our babies were still alive and to see what had caused that bleeding. The doctor began to scan my uterus. He found the two sacs and within the sacs, he found the heartbeats. Our babies were still alive! Before I even had a chance to let out a cry of relief he said, “Hold on. It looks like I’ve got something to tell you.” Don’t say something’s wrong. Please. We’ve come too far to lose it all now.

“What is it Doctor Nelson?”

“Well, I’ve got good news actually.”

“Good? Am I off the hormone shots and those nasty lozenges now?”

“No, no. That’s not it. You know how this is Baby A here? And this one is Baby B? Well Baby B split. This here is Baby C, its’ identical twin!” All color fell from my face. “You’re having triplets!”

My mouth dropped open. “Are you sure? We’re having triplets?”

“Yes. I’m 100% sure. Get dressed and let’s talk in my office.”

I slowly looked at Mario whose frozen expression resembled that of a person at the receiving end of a practical joke: half smile, half shock. My legs felt weak. My arms felt numb. The most terrifying feeling swept through every one of my veins. This couldn’t be true. Mario forced a smile and hugged me but I couldn’t move, or talk, or breathe. Like a zombie, I walked into his office where I proceeded to hyperventilate.

After breathing into a paper bag and calming down the doctor began to explain how this happened. “Identical twins are a fluke of nature. For reasons we can’t yet explain, an embryo splits down the middle in its early stages. This kind of triplet combination is very rare. I’ve only seen it happen maybe 4 times in the last 20 years. This didn’t happen because you did IVF. It’s not genetic either. It just happened. Now about the pregnancy…everything has changed.”

The entire drive home I felt like I was in a trance. I had to keep reminding myself to close my mouth and focus on the road. And for the next week I had to keep reminding myself to be happy. But I wasn’t happy. I was scared…scared that three would be too many for my body to hold…scared that I was now facing a very high risk pregnancy that would mean months of harsh changes, a higher risk of miscarriage, a greater chance of pre-term labor, and guaranteed premature babies that I wouldn’t get a chance to look at or hold after birth…scared of babies that would spend their first weeks of life inside hospital incubators and far away from my arms. This was too much. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t like I’d dreamt it would be. And I knew that the only way to fix it would be for one of them to die. And I actually felt that would be for the best. However, at the next appointment when the doctor suggested an embryo reduction I found myself refusing it.

Completely confused, I sat at home the following day just feeling sorry for myself, mourning the loss of an easy pregnancy, a normal delivery, of healthy babies, and thinking of how we could make this work. And that’s when I heard it playing on the radio. From this moment, I have been blessed. I’ll live only for your happiness. And for your love, I’d give my last breath. From this moment on…

“MY GOD,” I said. “You’ve blessed me, not with ONE, not with TWO, but with THREE children. MY children. Why am I wasting so much precious time being afraid?” And then an overwhelming feeling of guilt came over me. “How could I be so blind? This is the biggest blessing of my life. I am one of a chosen few. Me! These children must live. They have to make it. I love them. I love them more than everything and everyone. I love them today and I will love them forever. These are my children.”

I give my hands to you with all my heart. Can’t wait to live my life with you, can’t wait to start. You and I will never be apart. My dreams…came true…because of you. From this moment, as long as I live, I will love you. I promise you this. There is nothing I wouldn’t give, from this moment on…

With eyes full of tears and a heart so full it hurt, I let go of all my fears and began to feel a love like I’d never experienced. It’s like, before I knew them I was nothing. I knew nothing.

My children…

From an amazing dream, to a few tiny cells, to three tiny beings, a love began, bigger than me, bigger than life. Only God could have created such a feeling.

My children...Mario’s and mine.

No person in this world will ever take them from us. I will spend the rest of my life counting my blessings and giving Him thanks because now I know what it feels like to have it all. My life has come full circle. My life is now complete.

How to celebrate?

I've been giving it some thought. How do I celebrate my 100th blog post? Write an update on each child? Express my thoughts as an old pro mom? Predictions for the future? My favorite 100 pictures? One hundred ways to make veggies appealing to triplets?

Then it came to me. I didn't begin this blog when I should have. I was too busy back then. The first two years were a total blur of bottles, diapers, and exhaustion. And before that I didn't even know what a blog was.

People ask me where I find the time. Some say they think it's great I am documenting my experience. Some even say they like the way I write. All I know is I've always documented my life, just not publicly! LOL. I've kept a diary since I was 12 years old. You know, the old fashioned kind made out of cardboard, paper, and pen? And though I got horrible carpal tunnel during my pregnancy I was able to write down the story of how it all began.

It began in my heart the day I was born. I hate to sound old fashioned because I am a quasi feminist, but all I ever dreamt of as a little girl was to be a mommy. And that day finally came on January 3rd, 2005.

My 100th post will celebrate the thoughts that ran through my mind, both good and bad, on that day and the days following the biggest news of my life...

"You're pregnant."

Cause and Effect: a 4 year olds' revelation.

Over dinner and out of nowhere...

"Ok, so you are already married."
"Yes."
"So I can't marry you."
"That's right, Roman. I'm already married to Daddy."
"And I have to wait until after I go to college to find someone to marry me?"
"No. After graduate school."
"Ok and then I can buy my own truck, and get ready for work, and go to Superbowl?"
"Yes."

Apparently, my son misses his father. And apparently you can only leave town for 2 months to work Superbowl if you are married. That sure is a long time to wait.

Super

And somehow I still wonder why my daughter can't seem to figure out how to make friends with other little girls her age...

Not to be outdone...

"See Mama, that's my name... J K P"


"That's your name?"


"Yes, see....(phonetically pronouncing each letter) Jay-Ku-Pp"


"Ahh, yes. Well you've got your consonants down. Good job!"

Gotta love this kid!

Sweet Caroline

Tonight we spent the evening with the pretty woman in this picture:

Her and her 37 week baby bump made us dinner, gave us gifts, and send us home missing her.

It really doesn't seem like that long ago that we:

Began our sophisticated careers as teachers:

Drank until we thought taking a picture next to a junk truck and ladder was a great idea:

Had all the time in the world:

Became acquainted with premature triplets:

Baptized Jacob:

Took the kids on their first train ride:

Got hair cuts by Adam Sandler

And partied all night with David Beckham:

Caroline, we had a great time with you tonight. The kids talked about you all the way home and are probably dreaming of you right now (as promised LOL!) So needless to say, if you can stand us and our crazy loud behaviors, lets do it again real soon!

Mousa

Emma (playing alone upstairs at the dry erase board) : Mama, come here I want to show you what I made for you.

Me: What did you do? Are you drawing pictures?

Emma: Look, I drew Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

Me: I see! That's great and you even wrote "mouse" on top!

Emma: Yes!

Me: Where did you learn how to write the word mouse? (thinking she must have copied it from some book)

Emma: I just thought of the song "M-I-C.....K-E-Y.....M-O-U-S-A"

And just like I felt when she ran up to show me she had taught herself how to write her own name almost a year ago, this time too, I was speechless. How did I get so lucky to have such an amazing, self-motivated, independent thinker? Sometimes, when I think about it too much, I get scared that I really don't deserve her and that someone in Heaven made an error. That her real mom, some brilliantly successful gorgeous perfect woman, is going to come knocking on my door because she wants her back. Is that silly?

Tell me their story...

I've always talked with my kids about God. Really, its always been so easy. Our first real conversation happened when they were just 2 years old. "God loves you so much. He is here for you to bring you happiness and love." And their reply? "We love God. We know him. We see him every day." I remember thinking that if I didn't already believe children came from heaven, then after that reply I just had to.


The years have gone by and the discussions about God, and the prayers and thanks have only gotten deeper. They completely understand that God is good. They believe that they can pray for anything their heart desires but that God will give them what He feels they really need, not just want. They are perfectly comfortable with knowing that Tata and Grandpa have died and are now living in Heaven with God. They know one day, if we are good, we will join them as well. Over all, I'd say that we've done a mighty good job of laying out a strong foundation for what we believe is our life's truth.


However, today, I realized that for the most part their lives have been only blessed. They do not know what its like to see and feel a loved one die. They do not know what its like to live with a terminal illness or endure a disability. They do not know evil. They do not know pain. They do not know desperation. They do not know hate. Its easy for three blessed angels to believe in a loving giving God when He has only shown them happiness.


We sat at the dinner table today talking about the usual things: what their favorite new cartoon was and why, how tasty their bean sandwhiches were (yes I said bean sandwhiches...lol), how they can't wait for school tomorrow, and what fruit will be today's "postre". Totally just typcial.


Everyone sat, chewed, and talked in their usual loud way except for Emma who I noticed began playing with, flattening, and twisting her cheese stick. "Mom, its just like playdough...see, I made a mitten out of it." I looked at her serioulsy and said, "Emma, you know we don't play with food. Food is respected. Its a gift from God and we don't disrespect Him by playing with it. You know there are children all over the world who don't have enough to eat."


"Tell me about those children, Mom. Tell me their story."


So I began the story long overtold by every dinnertime mother since the beginning of time, I'm sure. I, myself, have gone there once or twice already. Except this time I could tell they were ready, not only to hear it, but to feel it.


I told them how there are many children who don't have dinner at home. How those children go to bed at night with tummies aching from emptyness. I told them how without adequate nutrition, children become sick or fail to thrive. I told them that we should never take what God has given us for granted and that our meals are His gift to us. I reminded them that there has never been one single day in their lives where they've gone without food, or shelter, or parents, or love. Emma stared at me. Roman stared at his bean sandwhich. And Jacob who was just looking around the room, stopped and said, "Mama, I have a great idea. Why don't we ask God to go visit those children and take them some food?"


For a second, I had no idea what to say. It was like one of those test questions where the answer was so obvious and simple that it had to be a trick so you hesitate. So I took a breath and said the first thing that came to my mind, "God has so much to do for so many of us. I think sometimes he leaves things for us to do for one another." For a new second, they sat in silence.


"I have a better idea. I have looooots of money in my piggy bank. I can take it out and send it to them so they can buy food!"


"That would make God and those children very happy, Jacob. I really think it would."





And with that I realized that the best answers to those difficult questions are not the ones given in multiple choice fashion, but the ones that come from deep within oneself. If the stingiest, greediest, and least giving of my three offspring could quickly stand beside himself and reflect on what he can do for another human being, then this is already a better world. And theirs is a story worth telling.

Eve and Day 2009

This Christmas we got our first "live" tree as a family. We picked it out together, brought it home and decorated it while listening to Christmas carols. We enjoyed its presence and its fragrance for an entire month.

On the night of Christmas Eve we brought out Baby Jesus for the first time, sang him lullabies, wished him a happy birthday, rocked him to sleep, and placed him in the manger on our window sill.

We baked cookies and brownies for Santa. And also left him milk in the ABC cup.



The living room lit up with colored lights and smiled for the camera just moments after Santa left.

First thing in the morning, we all came down to see if Santa felt we were as well behaved and deserving as we thought we were.

I must have been good after all because my Ugg boots finally got replaced by new ones that actually fit!

The brothers were good enough that they were given a Playmobile Pirate Adventure to share.

Papa was good enough to receive a long awaited Lakers jersey.

Emma, always the best little girl in the world, got exactly what she asked Santa for: A Christmas Marie (from Aristocats)

Even a lovie Batman made his way into our home and Jacob's heart.

Four Superheroes for two superboys!

Also, some very hard to find Marie shirts were added to Emma's wardrobe.

And we were all good enough that God allowed us to celebrate this wonderful holiday together. Merry Christmas to all!!!!

The Ghost of Christmas Past

On Thursday (the last day of school for my kids) Mario, my mom, Rosy, and I attended the kids first holiday music program at school. It was as cute as I imagined it would be. All of the upper grades came in and sang before them so we got to see all of the performances. As I watched the rows and rows of children caroling I found myself in a bittersweet reminiscence of Christmases past. And for the first time in five years I truly missed my previous life. I've been too busy to realize it, and perhaps too happy with my current life to notice that the person I was before mothering triplets was a person I was quite proud of. I loved being a teacher. I loved the chaos of a classroom full of 11 year olds and how by the time the holiday program rolled in to town I was already fully attached to each one of them. I loved the gratitude in their smiles, the trust in their eyes, and the love in their voices. Sure there were a few rough patches, but over all I had a wonderful life as a teacher. When the fourth grade got up and sang What A Wonderful World I found myself wiping away the tears (along with every other mother in the audience) and I began to wonder if perhaps my days as a stay at home mom are slowly coming to a close. Has the ghost of Christmas past come to plant a fork in the road of my life? And if so, how long will I be allowed to just stand there looking back?

.

.

My first year teaching...

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My current year as a mom...

Do I Believe?

Five Christmases ago I only had one wish, one single thought, one final prayer. I wanted a baby. Desperately. Five Christmases ago on December 22nd Mario and I walked away from my doctor's office, held hands in the parking lot, and cried. A few tiny cells worth more than all the money in the world were slipped into my uterus and all of our savings and all of our dreams went with them.



Five Christmases ago I came home to a tree full of presents I didn't care about in a house so quiet you could hear a pin drop on the carpet. I laid in bed for three days and I prayed like I'd never prayed before. I promised God this would be the last time I'd bother him with this. I promised him if he gave me just one little baby I would never ask for anything more. I promised him that if he let me be so fortunate that I wouldn't let him down. I'd be the best mother he ever created or give my life trying to be.


Five Christmases ago God answered my prayers and on Christmas morning made me a mother. So if you ever wondered wether I believe in God, or if I truly believe in Christmas, this answer should suffice. It doesn't matter how much you spend trying to please those around you with gifts. It doesn't matter if this year you can't give or expect to receive anything at all. Believe in God, believe in Christmas, and believe in the priceless gifts you shall receive.

Merry Christmas to all...

3 months and 3 pictures later...

It really wasn't until today when I picked up the kids from school, peeked into their homework folders, and found their FIRST school portraits that it hit me SMACK, right in the side. Just like when I was pregnant with them and Jacob would jab his pointy little foot right into my rib cage. That same kind of pain. That's how it felt. And just like I couldn't shove his foot away no matter how hard I tried, this time also, I couldn't fight the feeling. Today I didn't skip or radiate.
Today, I cried.

Emma Rose

Roman AlexanderJacob Evan

The Magic of Christmas at Disneyland

This past Friday I took the kids to Disneyland so they could see it all dressed up for the holidays. So much magic all around the park!!!! We had a GREAT time, except for the parking part. They are trying some lame new "technique" of sending us out to non-disney lots and busing us in while the main lot is not even full!!! Grrrrr!!! Anyway though, aside from that mess, everything else really was perfect!

Oink Oink

What do you get when 4 year old identical boys come across the world famous SWINE FLU?

In our case, just a mild fever for 5 days. One would have never known just by looking at them! LOL!

Summer came and went...

Summer came and went without a warning. Only once we looked and it was gone. Ok, so I was once a big Richard Marx fan. LOL. But there is truth in those lyrics. A couple of months of pure freedom and sunshine can pass quickly before our eyes and before we know it they've passed. What was truly special about this summer was the way we just "eased" into it. The transition was natural and effortless. We were able to enjoy more of it than previous years. Maybe the kids are getting older and wiser. Maybe I am. Regardless, there were a great many lessons learned and a whole lot of life lived in the last few months. It amazes me how much we've all grown. If I could sneak peek into my kids minds, I have a feeling this is what they'd have to say and that this is what they'll have to remember...

.

.

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This summer began with a Mother's Day family gathering at a park in Papa's hometown.

The boy cousins stopped running around the tree for just a second long enough to snap this picture.

The girl cousins stopped for a second as well. We learned that spending time with family is one of life's greatest treasures.

We also learned that being there to celebrate our friends' special moments bring us all just a little closer and that cake tastes great no matter what the occasion.

We learned that movies can be watched in screens bigger than the one in our living room and that true friends know how much a couple of hours of kidless shopping mean to a mom.

We learned that Mamas need a break too and we waved ours away with happiness.

We also learned that Dad isn't quite as incapable of taking care of us as Mom makes him out to be.

We learned that our beautiful world is also a place infested with disease and that a cute little animal like Wilbur can sure cause a whole lot of drama if he gets the flu.

We learned that in order to be accepted to preschool we have to look and act cute at the interview.

We learned that Mom comes from a family much bigger than ours. Only 3 of over 60 first cousins are pictured here. The rest are just their kids (like us)

We learned that some fish don't live in the ocean, but are kept in cool lit-up tanks so we could study them for a small fee.

We learned that some awesome person invented a FREE drumming session just for kids and that this gem is right in our very own town.

We learned that as much as we already loved Disneyland, that being there for the whole day on our 4th birthday made us love it even more!

We confirmed that our parents don't just say they love us. They mean it.

We learned that requesting a Costume Birthday Party in July was a HOT but FUN idea.

and that by the time we cut the cake, everyone forgave us for the 100° heat.

We learned that even though piñatas are fun in theory, that it can also make us cry to see them bludgeoned to death.

We learned that a whole lot of people love us a whole lot more than we realized.

We are very very very lucky triplets indeed.

We also figured out that its best to wear a helmet and knee pads when trying to learn a new ride-on device, especially when Mama bought them for cheap at Downtown L.A. and they aren't the sturdiest of things.

We learned that a pool party at Susan's means lots of hugs, lots of fun, a happy lunch, and delicious brownies...

and that we can spread our wings an fly...

so long as there is water underneath to catch us.

We learned there is such a thing as Miniature Golf....

That you don't really need to "pay" for a video game to have a great time on it...

And that spending time with friends is the coolest thing to do on a hot summer night.

We learned that getting a pool of our own (even if only a doughnut pool) makes for a great at-home playdate!

We learned that we can grow our own fruit with lots of patience, lots of water, and lots of love.

We learned that mom really does not mind that we think it's Halloween every....single...day!

We've always known we are not the only triplets in the world. What we still haven't figured out is why the rest of the world finds us so fascinating...especially when we hang out in packs.

We learned that in our culture dancing is a way of helping someone celebrate a blessing.

We learned that blessings come in all different shapes and sizes.

And that a new family begins with "I Do"

We learned that Mama taking us to the beach by herself, tent, coolers, towels and all, really does make her a SuperMom.

We learned that the beach is one big sand box with unlimited sharing possibilities.

And that waves can truly mute our screams.

And we learned that people sunning on the sand are blown away by sisters natural tan.

We found ourselves hosting even more pool parties and loving every single splash!

But of course, we still hold the title for Pool Vagabonds of the Valley. Whenever we are invited, we show up.

We learned that the Sandman is not only a character on Spiderman, but a cool game to play with our Dad.

We learned that doggies kiss a bit differently than we do.

and that playdates in 100°+ weather really are the norm for us.

We learned that as we get taller, so do the hoops. But that we can still conquer all.

We learned that Susan has a beach house and that it really didn't matter that the water was freezing and the sun never peeked out of the clouds. We had a blast!

We learned to appreciate the last few quiet mornings at home, with nowhere to go, and nothing to do but relax and enjoy the sunshine.

We found out that Disneyland is celebrating everyone's birthday this year and got to see our cousin Grace on her daddy's birthday.

We met a girl named Flat Stacey and decided that she is just a great excuse to get together with friends and PARTY!

And we learned that Super Moms come in sets of 3 as well.

We learned that one day you can all be happilly smiling in your backyard...

and the next, a giant cloud of smoke rolls in and takes those smiles away...

We learned that life without our brother at home is not only heartbreaking but truly impossible...

That even Mami's kisses can't heal every illness..

and that one must do whatever needs to be done to find their way back home where they belong.

We learned that our bond is one that will never be broken and that a few days apart only made our hearts grow stronger.
We learned that there is no place like home, no place better to dance in our costumes and celebrate our happiness and good health.

We learned that together, there is no mountain too high and no river too wide. We learned that God placed us on this earth at the exact same moment for a very special reason.

And that reason will continue to reveal itself to us with every new day.

We welcome our wonderful life with open arms.

Most importantly, we learned that together we stand strongest. Our birthright is our blessing and nothing and no one will ever take that away from us.

What do you do with your spare time?

Free Time at the Ragsdale House is very fore-telling. Clearly somebody is going to an Ivy League University, and some others best get off their butts and practice their sport scholarship snagging skills. LOL.

Emma's Quote of the Day

Mario and I have been discussing Stranger Danger with our kids. They are very friendly kids and love talking to everyone. And while we love their inner confidence and their ability to strike up conversations with complete strangers, we don't want them to think everyone that crosses their path is a nice person. So we've discussed how you can't judge a person by the way they look because they might look nice but be dangerous on the inside. Strangers can be overpowering and manipulative. Strangers can cause harm and pain. So Emma sat and pondered the information, taking it all in.

Then she asks Mario, "Papa, when we meet a stranger, aren't WE a stranger to THEM?"

I wonder if that made her feel powerful and dangerous....LOL!