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.