How things are Going

Well, we have had a lot happening the past few weeks. Here are a few updates on the kids.

Ameera is adjusting well to school. She cried a little on days 3, 4, and 5, but has done better every day since. This week she has done great. This makes things a lot easier for me. She walks into her class, puts her backpack and snack pack in its place and goes to sit with the other students. She picks a flower for me just about everyday and also brings home a Star, which is her teacher's way of letting us know she had a great day. She loves for mommy and grandma to put special things, like a sticker in her snack pack and every morning we have to give lots of hugs and kisses to last the day.

Joaquin loves his preschool, which is grandma's home. Grandma has a daycare, but it is more like a preschool. He does circle time, and projects, and sings songs, and reads stories. In the evening he will tell me all the things he did that day and sing me a song or two.
He is also doing very well with his potty training. He loves to wear his big boy undies. He has had a few accidents, but overall he is doing great. He even wakes up dry in the morning now. Pretty soon we will not have to buy pull ups for sleeping times.

It amazes me every day how quickly the kids grow. They do or say new things all the time. They make me laugh and are the joys/loves of my life. Sometimes I do not know what I would do without my two little rascals.

Ameera's First Day of School

Well, it is official. Ameera is a kindergardner!! She started school yesterday and she did very good. She got herself all dressed in the outfit she picked out the night before. I had wanted her to wear something else, but decided it was her big day and she should choose what she wants to wear. (of course she does have to choose from only the outfits mommy approved of and bought) Auntie Terry brought her a special red flower with little rhinestones from her shop, Bloom Beauty Boutique, where Ameera loves to hang out at any chance she gets. Ameera requested grandma's homemade oatmeal for breakfast, so of course grandma made it special for Ameera. Mommy packed her a snack in her new polk a dot lunch box and we were off to the school down the hill.

Ameera had an entourage when she walked on the school grounds. Mommy, Joaquin, Papa, Grandma, Auntie Terry, Tio, and even Tia Becky were there to see the little princess. Ameera did so good and I was so proud. She walked right into her class, got her name tag from the teacher, put her backpack on the shelf, and sat on the mat to read books along with the other children. The parents were not aloowed to go into the class so that the kids can adjust easier, but that did not keep them from all trying to stand around the door to get a peek at their babies, me being one of them. LOL!

I have to admit that I almost started to cry when we were walking from the car to class, but seeing Ameera so excited and skipping to school made me feel ok. When we left, brother was the one who was worried. He was wondering why we were leaving sister there and if we were coming back for her. He felt much better when we went back to pick her up. Both of them were so excited to see eachother and gave such a big hug that they actually fell over.

We went to Red Robin for lunch after to celebrate with Ameera and so that she could have her dessert with cherries on top. She told us all about her day and said she is ready to go back again.

Ameera's Preschool Graduation

It is almost time for kindergarden!! Last Monday Ameera went in for her kinder assessment. She was a little nervous to go in to the room at first, but after a minute she was telling the teacher how to spell her name for her name tag. She spent about 30 minutes in the room and came out all excited. I asked her what the teacher asked her and she responded, "Mom, they asked me everything, my letters, and numbers, and to color and write my name." I guess the teacher will let me know how she did once school starts.

On Friday she had her preschoo graduation from Little Steps (Grandma's preschool). Ameera. Andre, and Liliana were this years grads. Ameera did great during rehersal, but got stage fright when it came time to walk down the aisle in front of all the guests. The next big step is her first day of school on the 25th. Wish me luck! At least I know she will be in the same class as her little neighbor friend, Melina.

The Graduates ~ Ameera, Liliana, and Andre

Ameera's All About Me Poster

Happy 3rd Birthday Joaquin!

My little pirate turned 3 years old on July 31st. He celebrated with a pirate themed party with all his day care friends. He had fun playing pirate games, hitting the treasure chest pinata, and eating his pirate ship cake.

Joaquin also celebrated his birthday with a special trip to Disneyland with Mommy, Ameera, Grandma, Papa, and Tio.

Joaquin with Mommy, Ameera, and Minnie at Disney California

God Has Not Promised

God has not promised Skies always blue,

Or flower strewn pathways, All our days through.

God has not promised, Sun without rain,

Or joy without sorrow, Or peace without pain.

But God has promised, Strength for the day,

Rest for the weary, And light on the way.

Grace for the trials, Help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, And undying love.

I have this little poem up at my desk and every so often I have to look up and read it just to remind me that life may have ups and downs, trials and heartache, or be just plain stressful, but God is always with me. The last few weeks have been very stressful and I just pray for God's will. I also think of an old song and sing it when I feel really overwhelmed with life...

God has not promised me, sunshine

That's not the way it's going to be,

but a little rain

mixed with god's sunshine.

A little pain,

makes me appreciate the good times.

Be grateful, Be grateful

God desires to feelyour longings

every pain that you feel,

He feels themJust Like you.

But he can't afford to let you feel only good.

Then you can appreciate the good times.

Be grateful, Be grateful

Be grateful Becuase there's someone else who's worse off than you.

Be GratefulBecause there's someone elsewho'd love to be in your shoes.

Be grateful

My God said He'd never,never forsake you.

Be Grateful

Our Princess Fairy

I thought I would share a few of Ameera's fairy pics that she took last fall. She loved dressing up as a fairy. She just loves playing dress up in general. She is such a girly girl.

Gone Fishing

Here are a few pictures of our handsome boy. He had fun taking these pics...especially the knight ones. When Grandma asked him if he caught a fish, he said, "No, I caught a frog."

Hello, Hello...I am back!

It has been a while...again... but I am back. Sometimes life can get pretty busy as a wife, mother, and full time employee. Things are kind of settling down again and getting in order so hopefully I can keep this site updated more often.

The kids are doing good. They get bigger everyday and do or say new and silly things all the time. We are letting Ameera be a little more independent to prep her for when we are not around at school. I still can't believe that my baby girl is starting school in about 2 months. At least I know that the neighbor's daughter and another friend's daughter will be starting at the same school as Ameera and it also helps to know that Papa and Grandma are right up the hill.

Joaquin will be 3 on July 31st and he is already asking for a pirate themed party. He already likes to have a say in what he is wearing and how he wants his hair combed.

Well, that is it for now. Check in with us again soon for some new pics and updates.

Building The Latino Future

I would like to say congratulations to a good friend Frank Carbajal! Frank has officially celebrated the release of his book, Building The Latino Future. The book release party was held at Roux Louisiana in Santana Row. It was a packed house filled with fun and laughter and lots of people who are so proud of Frank and happy to support him in his success.

Building the Latino Future is a collection of inspirational stories from prominent Latinos in all industries, including the corporate world, the nonprofit world, government, media, sports, and Hollywood. This enlightening guide offers inspiration and advice for Latinos in any industry who want to succeed spectacularly. With a Foreword by bestselling author Ken Blanchard, Building the Latino Future includes contributions from such prominent figures as actor Edward James Olmos, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, former housing secretary Henry Cisneros, NPR correspondent Ray Suarez, former SBA heads Hector Barreto and Aida Alvarez, actress and spokesperson for Neutrogena Susie Castillo, and quarterback Jeff Garcia, among many others.

Frank Carbajal (Santa Clara, CA) is President of Es Tiempo, a coaching firm specializing in life and business coaching for small business owners and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Humberto Medina (San Diego, CA) is a consultant, speaker, and performance coach for The Ken Blanchard Companies. His passion is partnering with individuals and business managers throughout South America, Europe, and the United States to help them get the most out of their leadership.

From the Inside Flap:

Over the last two decades, Latinos have risen to places of prominence in every walk of life in the United States, from politics, industry, and education to sports, entertainment, and journalism. Latinos can be found at the head of charitable foundations, food industry giants, technology companies, media empires, and more. Now, as a member of the new generation, rising to build on the success of these pioneers, you can learn from the struggles and triumphs of those who have gone before you.
In Building the Latino Future, you'll discover the inspiring stories of dozens of men and women who, despite humble beginnings, meager resources, and limited opportunities, beat the odds and rose to become leaders in their professions. You'll also discover the habits, strategies, beliefs, and resources that enabled these icons to make it to the top.
From actor and activist Edward James Olmos, you'll learn the value of self-discipline and focusing on your goal. Henry Cisneros, former Secretary of Housing in the Clinton administration, shows you how to find opportunity right in your own community. And NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia presents a shining example of how perseverance pays off.
This fascinating look into the lives of successful Latinos goes beyond biography to provide a future framework for you to use in building your own exciting career. It helps you understand the lessons that each of these powerful life stories provides and put them to work in your own life.

Congratulations Frank and may you and your family be blessed.

Mommy Brain

The other day I read my friend Monica's blog post about her mommy experience at Taco Bell and I remembered this poem that I read. I dedicate this poem to you Moni. Love you.

If you’ve left the crayons to melt in the car,
And forgotten just where the car keys are,
There’s a perfectly good way to explain:
You see, you’ve come down with “Mommy Brain”.

When you’re not sure where the past eight hours went,
Or whether the phone bill check’s been sent,
If you’ve left the laundry drying in the rain,
It’s just — you guessed it — Mommy Brain.

If you find yourself chatting for hours on end
About diaper prices with your cyber friends,
You’ve just caught a particularly virulent strain
Of that affliction known as Mommy Brain.

If you’ve left your bags at the grocery store,
Or completely forgot what you went there for,
If you called the cat by your baby’s name,
You can bet that Mommy Brain’s to blame.

If you know the words to “Goodnight Moon” by heart,
If you study your sleeping babe like a work of art,
If you’re always surprised by how time is flying,
And the thought of that first birthday starts you crying...

It’s unavoidable girls, and I feel your pain.
For I, too, suffer from Mommy Brain.
And yet, my Mommy Heart is sure:
I hope they never find a cure!

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all of you who suffer from Mommy Brain. ~ Love, Christina

Ballerina Girl

Ameera has been asking for months if she could do ballet...well I finally gave in and signed her up. She is so excited!! She chose to do the ballet/tap class instead of classical ballet because she just had to have those shiny black tap shoes. The first half of the class is focused on tap and the second half on ballet, which means we had to buy her two different pairs of shoes!! She was a little shy for the first 5 minutes, but got into the class pretty quick. She can't wait until her next class.

Disneyland 2008

Hello Hello!! Again sorry for the delay in my blog update.

Well we finally made it to our family vacation to Disneyland. As you already know, Ameera starts kinder in August so we wanted to take her to Disneyland before she starts and also before the crazy summer season starts.

The kids had such a great time! We came away with so many wonderful experiences. We got a spot right in front of the castle one night and saw the fireworks show upclose! It was so awesome! Ameera and Joaquin were just amazed. Afterwards we shopped for Ameera's princess dress for her princess lunch the next day. Since it was so warm, she wanted something short sleeved. Although she would have preferred Ariel, we narrowed it down to Snow White and Cinderella. You see the Ariel and Jasmine costumes show some tummy and Mommy and Daddy (especially Daddy) was not having that. So Ameera decided on Snow White and she looked adorable.

Ameera just loved dressing up as a princess and having lunch at Ariel's Grotto in Disney California Adventure where she was able to meet and talk to all the princesses. Daddy was a little shocked at how much our lunch came out to, but it is all worth it to see our own little princess enjoying her time. Prince Charming (Joaquin) also had a nice time and he especially loved when Belle came to the table. Ameera also took part in the Royal Coronation over in Disneyland where she learned how to curtsy and dance like a real princess. At the end all the little girls were made official princesses. It was so cute.

Of course we did boy stuff for Joaquin. We took the raft thing over to Tom Sawyer Island where Joaquin was able to do Pirate stuff. He even found some pirate treasure and met a real pirate. Afterwards he and his dad went on the Pirates of the Caribean. Ameera would not get on because she does not like pirates.

Joaquin's other adventure was when we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Actually we all liked it so much that we went on twice in a row. You have to take your kids on it your next trip to Disneyland...I would say get on it even if you have no kids.

My least favorite ride was Nemo...only because I HATE being in small confined places with NO way out. It is actually neat the way the show the animation under water, but I would say once was good enough for me. LOL!!

One morning we got to the park really early and used our Toontown Morning Madness passes. We were able to ge into Toontown before it opened to the public. The kids ran the streets with no crowds, got on the roller coaster like 5 or 6 times in a row and became Honorary Citizens. Afterwards we went to Minnie's Breakfast where we met lots of characters. Joaquin loved meeting every character during our 4 days at the park.

Oh I can't forget to mention Turtle Talk with Crush. This was an especially neat experience for us. In this presentation there is an animated Crush who interacts with the audience. People can ask him questions and he replies and asks stuff back. Well at the end Ameera was upset because she could not ask a question so I told her we would ask his helper who was the guy with the microphone. Well he did not know the answer to Ameera's question which was if Crush had ever seen any mermaids in the ocean, so he asked her to stick around. When the whole room was cleard out, he called Crush back down and Ameera was able to have a personal one on one conversation with Crush. It was the neatest experience! Turns out Crush has not ever seen a mermaid, but has heard of Ariel so he invited Ameera to look for him when she is a lot bigger so they can go and search for mermaids.

I could go on and on of all the fun things we did, like the rides and Electrical Parade (which brought back great memories of going to Disneyland as a kid) but I guess I will end with we can't wait to go back for another great time.

Easter

We spent Easter Sunday at my parents home. It was a very nice, relaxing, fun day. We had some yummy appetizers and good food. The kids enjoyed coloring eggs and listening to grandma read a bunny story. I would have to say the best time was hunting for eggs. They were so excited that the Easter Bunny came to hide eggs for them. Later they opened up all their Easter goodies.

Friends

Hello Everyone who checks in with The 4 Boos!! Sorry I have not posted any updates. It has been busy days for Mama Boo.

Well last week a good friend Dawnita was visiting from Memphis, TN. We planned a small get together over at Monica's one evening so we could all catch up and see eachothers kidlets. The kids had a fun time playing together and the mommy's got some talk time in. It was wild times (LOL) but it was so good to spend time with the girls. I remember when we were all just teens going to East Valley and now we are all married with children. How time goes so quickly.

It seems like the days just fly, but it is always good to slow down and take some time to catch up with old friends.

Joaquin's New Motorcycle

Tio bought Joaquin a Diego Motorcycle Trike for Christmas...well it finally got assembled. Over the weekend daddy and Joaquin pulled out their tools and got to work. Joaquin was so cute as he observed his dad, checked out the work, and lent a hand in the assembly process. He would use his play hammer and wrench to work on his motorcycle. When the workers were all done...stickers and all, they went out for a ride around the neighborhood. They were nice enough to invite Ameera even though it was supposed to be boy time.

Princess Night Out

Last night Iris and I took Ameera and Kayla out for some fun girl time. The girls have been looking forward to Disney On Ice Princess Wishes for a few weeks...Finally the big night came. Ameera got dressed up as Mulan and Kayla was Princess Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty. The four of us met at Chilis where Tio Yo was our waiter. (He works there part time some evenings) We had fun eating and laughing away...I really enjoyed my Blackberry Lemonade. After dinner we headed over to the arena where we enjoyed an exciting show. There were beautiful ice skating presentations by Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Ariel, Mulan, and Cinderella...all the Prince Charmings were there too! Ameera's favorite princess was every princess that was in the show. Tinkerbell was so cute when she came out to introduce the next Princess. The girls got spoiled with cotton candy, popcorn, nachos and souveniers. We all had a blast and look forward to the next show. Next time Joaquin and Evan will come along...we missed our own little prince charmings this time.

Boys

Little Boys

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,

Shy and adventurous, full of surprises,

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while

Nothing can brighten the world like their smile.

And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy

Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!

Our Silly Girl

Tuesday was declared Ameera Day. After her doctor appointment and the whole shot drama, the four of us went out for Jamba Juice, Hello Kitty shopping, dinner and dress hunting. During our hunt for dresses, we stopped at Macy's where Ameera picked out a necklace and some new headbands, as we were leaving she asked me to take some pictures of her posing with the manequins. She is so silly.

Ameera is getting ready for kindergarten!!

I know Ameera won't start kinder until the end of August, but I am already so emotional. We have already started the preperations. On Tuesday she had her doctor appointment and received all her shots. It was so traumatic for my poor baby and for me too. I have held down many a children and watched them get shots or a TB test over the years of working with Public Health, but it is such a different experience when it is your own child. I wanted so bad to get up with Ameera in tow and run out of that IZ room, but I know she needs her shots. She is so funny. That night as we laid in bed, she told me, "Mom, next time we go to the doctor and Dr. Brahan is done checking my heart and my ears, how bout you say 'OK, I am going to take Ameera home now' and don't let them give me no more shots."
She has been doing great at "school", which is pre-school at grandma's house. She is doing good with learning her letters and sounds, her numbers and recognition. Yesterday she read me a book about Mat and Sam! It is a beginners book with simple words and sounds, but still...she read it to me! (With a little help from the best grandma ever) Gosh, I can't believe my baby girl, my princess is growing up.

No Cavity Club!

On Monday, Ameera and Joaquin had their dental check up. Joaquin was a little nervous this time, but his brave big sister made him feel a lot better as she stood by his side and held his hand. Joaquin is still teething. (That sounds funny!) He has the back lower right tooth that is breaking through. Both kids are cavity free!! I don't know who was more excited, them or mom. Last July, they went into the monthly drawing for no cavities during the month of their visit and Joaquin was the big winner of a $30.00 Toys R Us gift card. Ameera is really hoping to win this time. The kids go back in 6 months and hopefully we will be posting No Cavities again.

FYI ~ the dentist said to stay away from gummy vitamins or any sticky candy/snacks like fruit roll ups. Kids who were cavity free started getting cavities and the common thing was the gummy vitamins.