POTD: Brother Loves Sister

My kids love each other. I was taking a couple of pictures of Alayna in the outfit she picked out for herself and she was posing all cute... making up different poses and stuff. Then Diego comes over and says, "Hey Mommy I got a cute pose for her." She was already in her own position and he went over to her and kissed her. I took the picture. She didn't move. She just sat there smiling. Then she said, "I love my brother... How was that Mommy?"

They are so sweet with each other.

POTD: More Splashing

Arielle loves baths too. All my kids do actually. But Arielle most recently discovered splashing and bubbles. The second the water turns on she shrieks with excitement. As you can tell from this picture... she was very happy to be in the tub.

POTD: Splish Splash

Alayna loves baths. Love them... loves them... loves them. She would be in there for hours if we'd let her. Her Nina and Nino gave her Barbie Bubble Bath for Xmas and she loves to make bubbles in the tub.

She's been sick since last night with a fever on and off... cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. It funny how something so simple can make this little girl so incredibly happy. It's those life's simple pleasure that I wish I sometimes had more time to take in. Oh, to be a child with no worries or cares... happily soaking in the tub and playing with my duckie. =)

POTD: Rockstar

When Diego started school he asked for some shoes with skulls on them. We bought them. For christmas he asked for skull T-shirts. Santa brought them. And now that his birthday is coming and he's turning six he asked if he could choose his own haircut... so he's been growing this out for about a month now. And today he got this.





It would have been longer but when he went in 2 weeks ago they cut too much off the top.

He decided on a pirate themed party for his birthday in March (I plan things way ahead of time) because he loves the skulls.

My baby boy is growing up and is trying to find his individuality and be "cool". I can't believe how old he's getting.

POTD: My Favorite Form of Technology

I love my Macbook that Jr bought me for my birthday. It and my Cameras are my favorite things I own. I seriously never knew what I was missing but I am glad I made the switch from a PC to a MAC... my life is now better! =)

POTD: Technology

This week's theme is Technology.

When we took the kids up to Flagstaff to play in the snow on Sunday... we couldn't miss the Cardinals NFC Championship game. So my brother-in-law took a tv with "bunny ears" so we could keep track of the game. Well we didn't get good reception at all and he had to improvise using the foil my aunt wrapped the home-made burritos in.

People walked by and laughed at our setup and everyone in our family gathered around the tv watching... but those same people were back half an hour later to watch it right along with us.

After February 17th we will no longer be able to do this. TV will all be digital. Ahh... Technology.

POTD: President Obama's Inauguration

Rosa sat... so Martin could walk

Martin walked... so Obama could run

Obama ran... so my kids could FLY!

I've been watching this historic event unfold all day. I've never been into politics, I've never cared to learn, nor did I understand it. But I followed this election very closely. I asked a lot of questions. And I have learned a lot about the candidates, our country, and I learned how to make the best choice for me.

I voted for Obama. And I am overjoyed to be part of such a great day in history. I hear many people say, "I wish people would get passed the fact that he is an African American leader and just accept him as a leader." And even though I agree wholeheartedly that the color of someones skin doesn't determine if they will be a good leader or a bad leader... and that's exactly why I voted for him. But I do believe that it is necessary to put a lot of emphasis on that fact that he is our first African American President. That is something very monumental for this country. And for black people as well. Even though I feel extreme emotion and pride in electing a black man as president... imagine how other African American people are feeling today? Back in the day black people would be bought and sold as slaves. Slaves built the very same White House that the Obama family will live in for the next four years. Back then black men only counted as 3/5ths of a person. Back then black people couldn't eat in the same restaurants, drink from the same fountains, or sit in the same part of a bus as a white person. They have fought long and hard to become equals and I think Barack has shown so much courage. So I think he should be recognized as the first black man to become president... not because of his race... but because of his race he was able to knock down walls and barriers and change the future for all of America.

So as I lay in my room at 10am Phoenix time, and watched our new president be sworn into office, I couldn't help but take pictures of my tv and record his inaugural speech all while crying with happiness. The emotion I felt at that very moment was indescribable... all I can say is I was simply speechless, in awe, and very proud to e alive to see this.

POTD: Textures

Texture samples for my photos. And they look ridiculously awesome!

POTD: Enter The Light

I don't even have words for this picture. I actually took it a long time ago (June 2007). But it was away in a folder... somewhat forgotten. And looking through my archives and I found it. Along with a lot of other awesome pictures! It's fun to go back and see my baby girl right before she turned 2. This was a few weeks before her 2nd birthday when we went to Rocky Point.

This is truly one of my favorite pictures ever.

POTD: The Next Generation

It is extremely hard to get 7 kids to sit still long enough for a decent shot. These are my parents 7 grandkids. I have 3, my brother has 3, and my sister has 1. I was babysitting so I happened to have all of them together and wanted to snap a picture of them as they were watching Alvin and the Chipmunks. As you can see they are all making faces and what not... but I really like the picture anyway. They were just enjoying eachothers company. I only took 2 shots... the first came out blurry... and somehow in the 30 seconds it took me to get them all the sit straight... Ducky and Diego switched spots on me. I had put them in order of birth. Oh well.



From left to right: Tallynna (8), Brianna (7), Ducky (4), Diego (5), Alayna (3), Juanito (1), and Arielle (9 months)

POTD: Tombstone City Hall

Since the theme is texture, I figured I can use the opportunity to learn photoshop better and use textures on my pictures. I chose this one of the City Hall building in Tombstone, Arizona. Although the picture was taken almost a year ago... when I went to visit Tombstone I couldn't help but think that in some of my photos... texture would add to the charm and charachter of the buildings in the town. It's so rustic there that I thought it would be fitting to use this picture. And to date... it's one of my favorites.

POTD: Texture on a Starfish

This weeks challange is texture. And I think this dead starfish has plenty of that. This picture was taken in Rocky Point on a family trip. My son found dead starfish, fish, crabs, and even a jellyfish on the beach!



Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean to do his
writing. He had a habit of walking on the
beach before he began his work.

One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach, he saw a
human figure moving like a dancer. He
smiled to himself to think of someone
who would dance to the day.

So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a
young man and the young man wasn't
dancing, but instead he was reaching
down to the shore, picking up something
and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good
morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied,
"Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't

possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it
into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said - "It made a difference for that one."

POTD: My Kids Room

So we went to Ikea to buy all the stuff to decorate the kids bedroom. And we bought new sheets for our bed. It was a family thing... My parents, My husband and I, and all 3 kids. My mom wasn't too fond and was quite confused at how the store works. But after having some lunch and getting a second wind... she warmed up to it once we got to the marketplace to pick up the stuff we wanted. Who doesn't like Ikea?! It makes me absolutely giddy.

So the kids room is absolute adorableness. Is that a word you ask? Yes in my world it is. And it describes my kids room. With my Mom as the "Supervisor" and my Dad and I putting our heads together as designers... and my husband doing the bulk of the labor with help from my Dad... I think it pulled together really well! I LOVE it... and my kids love spending the days in there now as opposed to playing in other parts of the house. It sill needs some pictures and frames on the wall which are still in the works and the window treatment needs to be put up... but other than that it's so CUTE!





Up next... our bedroom. Which will eventually be our parents guest bedroom when we move out. Yay!

POTD: Ikea

I love Ikea. I love Ikea a lot. I stalk the website one day hoping I can have my own house to decorate. I really love Ikea. It makes me happy just being there... kinda like Disneyland... instant happiness as soon as you walk through the doors. Yup. HAve I mentioned that I LOVE Ikea?

POTD: A Reflection of Me

I took this of myself when we went to Venice over the summer... and due to me leaving my camera at a friends house... I can't take new pictures. So I will have to just post something old so as not to miss my day.

POTD: The Love of my Life

"I am the only one in his eyes"



Meet James... better known as Junior (no one calls him James). This is my husband of over a year and a half now. I've been mad at him all day today... actually since yesterday. And he puts up with me. He knows to just leave me alone and let me have my time to cool off... so all he said to me was "you're the only one in my eyes". How sweet. I am still mad though.

This picture reminds me how much I love him. It's just truly and completely him.

AND he endures being my model for pictures... gotta love that.

POTD: Start {A New Year}... Ready, Set, Go!

Update: My poor precious baby! She's even sicker today and really has no energy to even cry now. Although she has been fussy all day. Most of the morning she laid around on blankets either watching movies with Alayna or drinking a bottle. Her little eyes look so helpless. I hate when any of my kids are sick... but especially the baby... she can't tell me what's wrong, what hurts, what she's feeling. I hope she gets better fast!



So now on to my POTD:

This weeks theme is Ready, Set, Go... and when I came home from dropping off my son at school I noticed our Christmas wreath is still up. We took all the stuff down days ago and we completely forgot about the wreath. And I just noticed! Maybe it's cuz I am surprised that 2008 came and went so fast... that I am not ready for 2009 to do the same. So I am taking it down and I say bring on 2009. Why not? It's already here and I can't do anything about that. So I guess I am ready to start a new year, with new possibilities, and new experiences. Now that I think about it... I can't wait.

POTD: Third Time's a Charm

Arielle is my youngest child and the most easy-going, happy, and well-behaved baby I've ever known. Diego was pretty much the same way... but I still think she has him beat.

That was until... last week. She's been keeping me up all night, crying, and not wanting to sleep. She doesn't want to nap during the day at all anymore... and she's only 9 months! I keep thinking its her teeth... but she still doesn't have not one tooth in sight. And to top it all off she's getting a cold. She woke up with a raspy throat and runny nose this morning. Great! So I only got 3 hours of sleep last night, haven't taken a nap, and had one heck of an afternoon trying to get our car started and picked up my son late from school (when he had early release).

I don't think I'll get much sleep again tonight... she's sitting here crying as I type... but doesn't want to be held or fed.

But isn't she pretty?

I just hope she gets well soon so she can go back to being my carefree, happy little girl.

POTD: Pretend Winter

Maybe if we had a winter in Phoenix this would be what it looked like. I took this picture this morning after dropping my son off at school and the sun was out and blaring in my face.

But instead we have sunny winters! Which for me is great... I can only stand the snow for maybe a day. Hence why we travel up to Flagstaff for a one day snow trip. Haha. We can enjoy if for one day... but my husband and I know we'd never be able to live somewhere where it snows. The kids love it... and are still asking if we'll be seeing snow this winter. Who knows... maybe we'll make a day trip before the snow melts.

POTD: My Brother

My brother is one of my biggest role models. We're 7 1/2 years apart and growing up we fought a lot. I was always the annoying little sister. By the time I was 10 he was already out of the house and going down the wrong path. So we clashed all the time. We didn't understand each other and he would torture me like most older brothers would. And now that we're older and have our own families... we get along so much better!

He's always there for me. He tells me the truth. Everytime I go see him he's genuinely happy to see me and I love it! He's no where near perfect and he's made some bad choices in life. But what inspires me the most about him is that he never gives up, he knows what he wants, he loves life, and he's hilarious. Like I said... he's not perfect... but in my eyes he's right up at the top.

POTD: Package From Nina

My cousin sent some Christmas gifts for my kids and we recieved them today. Arielle is Goddaughter so she got lots of gifts. We sat her on the couch and one by one Jr opened the gifts for her. She was so interested and excited to see what was in each one. The first one was a Little Mermaid pillow and she immediately became excited when she saw it... I think it was all the colors. 

Thanks Becca for all the gifts! The kids loved them!

POTD: Santa Shops at Walmart

My sister-in-law and I both bought the same pairs of pants for our girls on the Black Friday sales at Walmart, and they all ended up wearing them on the same day by pure coincidence. The girls thought is was crazy that they all had the same pants so I snapped a picture of them. Aren't they cute?

POTD: New Year... New Renovations

This was the color of the kids room as of yesterday:


This is the color of the kids room as of today:


Being that all 3 kids share a room we had to choose a color that was good for 2 girls and a boy. I don't know what's next for the room but I am going for a contemporary, clean, and fun room. Right Dad?

Happy New Year! POTD

My husband rang in 2009 with our 3 kids at home. We even videotaped it. I've never not gone out for New Years Eve so it was a little wierd. But we had fun. Ate Dinner, had ice cream, watched movies, watched the ball drop... then ran up and down our neighborhood with luggage. Weird? Well it's supposed to be good luck for many travels in the New Year. It's a tradition for my husbands family so for 4 years we've been doing it. It's fun.