Just Another Day....

Well, it's been a while since my last blog, but that doesn't mean interesting things haven't happened or haven't been said. Today, I was driving the kids to school to school Aidan says, "In two-tenths of a mile, turn left...bink, bink..turn left." When we get to school, he says, "you have arrived at your destination." He never misses a beat, but Makayla informs me that maybe I should get to know the town more and quit using Navigation so much. :) So technically, I guess Aidan's humor is my fault? NAH...Then tonight it's past bedtime. I hear, "Momma!!!!??" I go into Makayla's room and she informs me that she is seeing flashing lights coming from Aidan's room...immediately, I think, "God, please let the flashing lights coming from Aidan's room always be a Nintendo DS and not Police Officers.-Thank you, Amen." :) I go into Aidan's room and tell him to hand it over. He hands me a laser light/flashlight, then the DS, then an I-POD and lastly a cell phone that he took from Leon (an old one, Aidan wanted just to take pics.) I decided at that point that my kid is a hoarder. As I was walking away, he chants, "you're a tattletale Makayla and you should really get a life and stay outta mine." Nice. Needless to say, the hoarder is in trouble, but something tells me by taking all the "fun" stuff away, I will be the one suffering. Now, I think I will look at the cell phone pics...there may be another blog following this one, I'm afraid. It all depends on what is on the cell phone. :)

Soccer Star?

Well, I'm officially a soccer mom. That's right, ME! Makayla has decided she wants to play soccer this year. She is a 6th grader and has never played before. Most of the girls on her team have played since age 4, and have played together. She's the new kid and hasn't known what to expect. I've never played, so I can't coach her on what to do, and let's face it...I've heard wayyy to much yelling at the kids from the stands to do that to my kid. I think I'll just let the coach handle the coaching. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself or my kid. :) Anyway, Mak is apparently very fit. Her coach says she is really conditioned. Leon started making Makayla run about 2 months before soccer started for this very reason. Soccer is alot of running and again with the embarrassing thing-I'm pretty sure Leon didn't want her to pass out on the field. :) The one thing her coach says she needs to work on, is being aggressive. Being aggressive? My kid? Have we met? How is this even possible that MY kid is not aggressive? Someone did ask if I was Makayla's real Mom or Step-Mom at the game the other day....hmm...maybe that's the reason she's not aggressive-she's not mine....switched at birth, maybe?? :) Anyway, she did great...and so far the team is undeafeted. I think I shall share some pictures that my Step-Dad took at her last game. Who needs to purchase the soccer pics the team sells?? Not this girl! :)

Hit Em' BACK!

So my kid came home today from playing and had tears in his eyes and was holding his face. I looked at him and asked what happened! He said, some red headed kid kicked him, punched him, got him in a headlock and pushed him and if that wasn't enough slapped him in the face. His sister came in behind him and said it was all true. Then like any mother I went outside to find out what happened. Aidan said the boy was sent home by one of the dads that was outside with them. I was furious...Leon knew it and saved the day. I'm pretty sure, Leon felt compelled to save this kid and his mom. :) I don't know that I will handle my kid getting picked on very well. While Dad was gone, talking to this kid's parents it was my opportunity to talk to my kids about fighting. I told them hitting is not ok-unless you are being wailed on, and then you take up for yourself and get yourself out of the situation...and if it requires hitting the kid back in self-defense it's ok. That's such a hard conversation to have with your kid, b/c you wonder when that will come back and bite you right in the heinie! :) But in this case, that kid sooo deserved to be hit back! Come on! Aidan did push him and Makayla said he shoved him hard to the ground an the kid then ran. Is it bad that I was proud of my kid? I mean, really??? What was he supposed to do? Aidan is not normally a hitter! Matter of fact, he's really easy going. But a person can only take so much. He gets that from his dad. Leon is very passive, until you really make him mad. I think Aidan is a lot like that. Me on the other hand, not so much. :) So my kid got into it with this red headed kid who freaked out on my kid! I have to ask is this my payback? Doomed, I tell you. Doomed. :) When I tucked him in tonight, he asked, "Mom, are all red headed people mean?" I looked at him and thought long and hard and decided to tell the truth, "Why yes, yes they are, Aidan." He said, "That's what I figured." I giggled, wondering if he got my joke. I think maybe he did! But then a few seconds later he said, "Wait Mom, I do know one red headed person that is really nice." I was smiling and feeling flattered, when he said, "There's this one kid in my class, he's red headed and he's nice." I smiled and then I kicked him. ;) HAHA..just kidding. I kissed him again, and wondered if he would figure out, I'm not so bad either, but I will tell ya, "RED HEADED KID STAY OFF MY BLOCK OR I'M COMING AFTER YOUR MOMMA!" :)

2nd week in school and a pending phonecall..

So Aidan got better from the cold and then Makayla and I got it. Super. Two weeks hadn't even past that we've been in school and we've all been sick already! NICE! Aidan really had fun telling us to drink PEE! (see post below!)

When Aidan returned to school he apparently couldn't wait to tell his teacher that the Dr. perscribed PEE for him to drink. According to Aidan, she doubted his story. His response was, "No, really..my mom ASSURED me. And ASSURE means she's sure." Ok, that's not what I said..I said, "I assure you that you don't have to drink PEE." I told him fluid means liquid..and of course he reminded me pee was a liquid. I finally said, "PEE is not a drinkable fluid." Jeez. Anyway, the teacher told Aidan she may have to follow-up with me about this story. Great. Looking soooo forward to this phonecall. I really need to find out if his teacher has boys, cause if not-folks, I'm screwed!

Fluid intake, a good thing?

So, I took my boy to the doctor last Monday. He was looking a bit miserable to me. I thought it was allergies since I had taken him off all his allergy meds last year. I am that mom that doesn't want to medicate if I don't have to. I was hoping he had outgrown some of the issues he had early on in life, so I wanted to give it a try. So when he woke up Monday morning, when he wasn't his usual cheerful self I decided to take him to see his Dr. just to rule out anything major. We get to the dr. office and he still hadn't perked up. He was sniffly, coughing, and stuffy. He was pretty puffy under the eyes. I was just waiting for them to say, "back on meds." But it wasn't the case, turns out the boy had a cold or something. She said drink fluids and rest up! We get home and some meds in and he naps. When he wakes I handed him a glass of water and he said, "The doctor said I have to drink Fluids...is that a fancy word for pee? I'm not drinking pee...weird doctor lady." Then it got me thinking....fluids is a weird word..it kinda does sound icky. But I said, "I assure you that you aren't drinking pee." I did give him yellow gatorade just to be funny. Hey, I'm all about tormenting my kid. :)

Should I sign him up for tutoring, already?

So today was our 2nd day of school and while going thru Aidan's folder I came across a paper that he did today. The point of this paper was for the kids to get to know their classmates. Some of the questions on the paper were: Who wants to ask a question? Aidan's answer...The boy with his hand up; Who is wearing glasses? Aidan's answer....The boy with glasses on; Who is standing? Aidan's answer...That one kid; Who is talking? Aidan's answer...That girl that always talks. I'm pretty sure Aidan failed this assignment. But in his defense, he's always been bad with names.... :)

The journey continues...

My 3rd grader...

Makayla today in the 6th grade...

Kindergarten-7 years ago..it's a blur, just like this picture. :(


So today, I had a revelation. I was taking my kids to school while reflecting on their past first days of school. I then thought to myself....7 years ago, I dropped Makayla off for her first day of Kindergarten and in 7 years I will be taking her to college and helping her unpack into her dorm. We are exactly at the halfway mark. I can't believe my sweet little girl is now in her last year of elementary school. She was so cute in Kindergarten, and sweet. She still let me pick out her clothes and was so excited to see me when she got home. I wonder if she will still feel that way today at pick-up...we'll see. I can't believe how much she has changed in 7 years...and what the next 7 years will hold in store for us...but I know it's a blessing to be her mom. Thank you God for Makayla....



My sweet Aidan boy is starting this year a tad bit better than he did last year. Thank God. It was nice not having to park in the wheel chair parking and seeing him take his own bag to class and not having to watch the floor so much so he didn't slip. He is in the big 3rd grade this year. Will his teacher think he is as funny as I do? Probably not, but I hope she "gets" him. :) My sweet boy...

Meteor Shower ...

I love living in a smaller town. I love being able to see the stars at night! Tonight on the news, they talked about the meteor shower. I wanted to take the kids out and lay in the driveway to watch the sky. We layed there for a few seconds, waiting for a miracle to happen, or so it seemed. I don't think any of us knew what to look for or what to expect. But then it happened..well, I think. I started to see stars drifting. I knew I should have paid more attention in Astrology...wait, did I even take Astrology?? I don't know..Anyway, I spotted a few, Makayla spotted hers and Leon spotted his. All that was left was Aidan. He said, "There's one!!!!" in a really excited voice...but nope it was a plane. Makayla quickly reminded him of that with an elbow to the gut. Then he said, "Ok...ohhhhh wait, there's one!!!" And again, Makayla said, "that's not even moving..you're moving your head." He then said he was bored. It took all of 2.5 seconds. He layed there one more second and then said, "Oh, there's a kitty!" And ran off to scare the cat. He then asked Makayla to play leap frog. It was over. I layed there thinking maybe in a few more years he would do this for a tad bit longer. But then I realized this is Aidan...and he probably wouldn't. He's just to busy. :) Remind me to test that kid for A.D.D. soon. :)

Femur-tastic Day...

Our family today...

It's the simple things in life...like fireworks...and pretending to like each other!

Coming home from the hospital...

Poor Makayla's burns..

Such a scary day for all of us...

Well, here it is..the anniversary of the dreadful day...THE CAR ACCIDENT! We decided today would not be a dreaded day..instead on our calendar it reads: FEMUR-TASTIC DAY! So today consisted of Mom, Makayla and Aidan doing nothing but having fun. We got up after a long cozy time...started the day with the sweetest prayers and then got ready to go. First we went to Academy for presents! Makayla wanted a Soccer Ball and Aidan got a gun..imagine that! :) We then went to lunch at Taco Bell, their choice, and then out for cookies! We then came home, got all cozy on the couch, with a gun next to us, of course and then went to play Soccer when Daddy got home-in the sprinklers on the Soccer Field! I'd say today, was indeed FEMUR-tastic! Now I sit here, in a quiet house. I watch Makayla and Aidan sleep in their beds and I am so sad, yet happy. Can only Moms feel two totally different emotions at the same time? I reflect back on this long year...I remember the accident so very clearly and sometimes it's hard to sleep feeling it and seeing it over and over again. I close my eyes and always wish for a different outcome. I always wonder if there was something I should have done. I wish I wouldn't have told Aidan to look at the horses...I wish I would have seen her darting across. Why do we, as Mom's, always blame ourselves even when deep down we know it wasn't our fault and there was nothing we could have done? I remember getting out of the car, unhooking his seat belt him looking up to me with the biggest gash ever across his forehead. I remember the blood. I remember hoping and praying for no scar. I remember seeing the man from church run to us, and feeling comforted by seeing someone I knew to help me, to help my babies. I remember trying to call my husband. I remember seeing him get there, with tears in his eyes and a scared, panicked look...hoping he would just say, "They will be fine.." I remember seeing my daughter taking in the whole scene and worrying that she was in shock. I remember the ambulance ride, my sister talking me through it all. I remember getting to the hospital, hearing him cry, hearing them say his femur is broken..wondering what that meant..I remember 20 stitches and him counting with them for it to be over. I remember having to say goodbye as they wheeled him away for surgery. I remember what we all were wearing and talking to my mom for the first time and crying because I needed her. I remember hurting but not knowing how hurt I was until 3 hours later. I remember him waking up and his little hand reaching out to me. I remember his sister being so hurt and seeing him hurt just hurt her even more. I remember her climbing into his bed and just wanting him to be close to her. I remember the hospital room, his first walk with crutches, bringing him home, not knowing how to really care for him. I remember watching him sleep and crying myself to sleep. I remember the week after, school starting and it being a new school...I remember having to leave him with a cast up to his hip and a huge gash on his forehead. I remember not knowing what to do..but crying the whole time he was gone. I remember going to lunch with him everyday, so he wouldn't slip on an orange peel, taking him home early and parking in the wheel chair parking spot. I remember how sad he was, how stressed he was, that he even lost the back of his hair. I remember physical therapy, was terrible. The therapist had no idea what he was doing. I remember flipping completely out...I'm sure they remember that, too. :) I remember getting a new wonderful therapist and seeing my baby walk for the first time without crutches and recording it, with tears flowing. I remember months of physical therapy, watching him learn to bend again. I remember the surgery to remove the rods and he asked to keep them...instead we got a photo. :) I remember him being so tough and never asking for pain medication..but always wanting me by his side. I remember still praying the scars would fade. I remember the doctor saying 7 years...he can't do sports for 7 years. I remember Aidan's sad, sad face. I remember the first time he rode his bike after the accident and me being so scared, yet so proud. I remember hearing about a boy that passed away around the same age as Aidan and being so sad for this mom and yet feeling so blessed that I can still hear my little boy laugh...and this poor mom couldn't. I remember feeling guilty for counting my blessings and she was burying hers. Yes, it's been a long, hard year..and I've had a front row seat..but this little boy has made me so proud. I've learned so much about life. I've learned patience, strength, gratitude, and peace...and I know we are very blessed. Thank you God for my children....and thank you for all the blessings this year. I've seen the power of prayer up close and personal...and I am forever changed.

That's a longggg time!

Well, tomorrow Leon and I celebrate 18 years together. Eighteen years with the love of my life! We pretty much grew up together and now here we are growing old together-it's happening rather quickly too, I might add. :) Of course, we've had our ups and downs...tell me, who hasn't? But here we stand, hand in hand-together. In 18 years, we've experienced death of grandparents, illnesses of parents, deaths of our best friends, losing a baby, moving, job changes, a car jacking, a flood, and a terrible car accident. We've also shared many moments of bliss: laughs, two beautiful children, buying a home, graduating college, renewal of our wedding vows, vacations, a baptism, and so many other fond memories. I will say that this man completes me. He loves me, in spite of me. He makes me whole and makes me laugh more than anyone I've ever met. He is soft, gentle and would do anything for me. I can honestly say, I hope my son grows up to be just like his dad and I hope my daughter marries someone like him, too. He's the provider for our family and he's a hard, dedicated, honest worker..that's hard to find in an Auto Technician you know... :) He loves my mom-that means alot to a girl. He would do anything for anyone. He's my best friend and my biggest fan. He thinks I'm wonderful, even when I don't see it. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't laugh. Laughter is very important in our house. Due to that, there isn't a Mexican or white people joke we haven't said, a shower taken without a prank played, a jumping out and scaring each other, or a wrestling move that we haven't tried on each other. I'm blessed beyond belief. Many people spend their whole lives searching for that one person that truly gets them. I found mine. God decided mine would live right up the street in Goree, TX when I was a mere 14 years old. Eighteen years later, here we stand..That Crazy Redhead and that Little Latino, still in love. It's hard to believe it's been that long ago that we walked the town, spend time on the sidewalk that never ended, front porch dated, shared a Camelot Village, drove on bridges with napkins and saw Homeward Bound while sharing a pizza. I love you, Leon..and I'm so proud of the life we've made and the life we live together with our sweet babies. But I'm getting a present, right?? :)

In One Day...

Just in one day my son managed to make all of us laugh about 100 times, at least. First, he wanted a few quarters while we were out shopping. I gave him one and my friend, J, gave him like 4! Have I mentioned J really thinks alot of Aidan? :) Anyway, he found a quarter machine and put in his money and bought a fake mustache. He was quite amusing with it on. He even managed to talk T, his best 14 year old friend, into getting one. They posed for a few pics and then it was on! Every time someone on the loud speaker said for the Men's Dept. to call a different department there he went. He would say, "I'm coming..I'll be right there!" with his stache on of course! Then we went out to dinner and he asked the waitress for the Senior Menu. Makayla asked him his Senior name and he said, "Russell...Russell Patch." He couldn't even wear the mustache without his eyes watering, because he has allergies and it was causing him to sneeze and his nose to itch. Makayla put her finger under his nose for him. He said, "Thanks, Sweets." He was completely into his character! I sent my sister his photo and she said he looked like Cheech Marin. Gosh, she was right! He did! Then she said, "I love that freakin kid!" I told Aidan, and he said, "Everyone does." Leon said playfully, "I don't." Aidan's remark was, "Maybe I should go then." Makayla told him to take a limo..he said while rubbing his chin and stroking his stache, "Limo hmm...that might be to much...Taxi..that's better." Then he asked Leon for 20 bucks. I'm pretty sure I should put him in acting. I think he may be a natural! He played Russell..Russell Patch very well, afterall! And where are we going tomorrow? Why back to the quarter machine to get another mustache of course. ;)

Wasn't this just yesterday?

They are growing up, to fast, if you ask me! During the summer we always do school starting in mid-July. The kids love it. We usually do 15 minutes of reading. One reads, the other does computer time, and then they switch. Then we do about 3-4 worksheets. Makayla now does piano for 15 minutes, too. We started our school today and they loved it! They kept saying, "can we do more?" I was shocked. Then Makayla said, "I would love to do home schooling, Mom!" I was easily like, "Ummm...no way!" Honestly, I would probably like it...except for the fact that we all know that I cannot do math...well, not Jr. High/High School Math. Then it hit me....my little girl is in her last year of Elementary this year. When did this happen? When did I get old enough to have a sixth grader? How is this even possible? Didn't I just finish sixth grade? UGH!!! Time has really flown by. I know OLD people always say that, but it really does once someone puts a baby in your arms. It's sad. Anyway, then we set off to go over to a friends house and Aidan had his sunglasses on his head and was about to pull them down on his nose when he says, "Y'all ready for this?" It was in a tone. A grown tone. I laughed because it was darn funny, and then imagined him as a teenager. UGH....again. I am NOT in any way, shape or form ready to live in a house with a teenage boy. Come to think of it, I never have lived in a house with a teenage boy. That alone scares me. Will he always be my sweet baby boy that thinks his mom is the best there is? Ok, I'm stopping now, before I cry. :(

Busted...

Okay, let me just start off by saying that I play on the computer a lot. I look at houses, even though I'm not moving. I look at all my favorite stores online, not searching for anything special, just looking! I just navigate my way onto websites...just browsing. Tonight was no different. No sooner than I clicked PUBLISH POST on my last post about my children fighting does Aidan make his way into the kitchen with his sister not far behind. I had two tabs open on the computer. First it was my blog spot. Then it was Ashley's Furniture. Aidan came into the kitchen along with Makayla, who has been bunking with him since school let out for the Summer. Maybe this is why they have been fighting so much?! Hmm....Anyway, here they are when they were already all tucked in the bunk beds, supposed to be asleep, when they decide that they REALLLLLLYYYY needed a drink of water. Umm..ok. So they get their water, come stand behind me and Aidan sees the Ashley's Furniture tab. He said, "Where's Dad?" I said, "He's asleep, you know where you and Makayla should be." He said, "Well, if he sees you looking at that new furniture you might have to sit on the OLD couch and hold hands for wayyyy longer than 9 minutes." Do you think that's bribery? Because, I'm still trying to decide.... ;)

Cruel Punishment..maybe, but if it works...HEY!

I'm a teacher so I get the opportunity to be at home during the Summertime with my sweet, adorable, ALWAYS FIGHTING children. Ok, they aren't always fighting but seriously they have their moments! Today, I finally had my fill. They argued about who had the TV first, who got to be first playing the WII, where they were sitting, and then legos! I had my fill at Legos. I told them 2 times to just work it out. When I left the room and then came back, it was still going strong. I then became, CRAZY REDHEADED MOM..which happens from time to time. :) I told them to park it on the couch and gave specific instructions who was to sit where, b/c let's face it, they would just fight on where they wanted to sit or who was there first, if I let them decide on their own. Then I made them sit beside each other-really close and hold hands. They argued with each other, then with me, which just earned them 2 extra minutes holding hands. Then Aidan let go..another minute. Then Makayla squeezed Aidan's hand...another minute. You get the idea. All in all, the punishment started at 5 minutes but ended in 9 actual minutes of holding hands once you added all the extra time they earned. It worked like a charm. It's been pretty peaceful in the Sanchez house tonight. Occasionally, I do yell out, "Wanna have a seat on the couch and cozy?" - just as a reminder. It then becomes really quiet, except for one little voice belonging to an 8 year old saying, "Mom may have lost it.." followed by an 11 year old saying, "Ummhmm...but that happened a longgggg time ago." You guessed it...more time on the couch. :)

Another Aidan moment...

So the other day, we helped my friend J get all moved into her new house. We had cleaned, and cleaned and cleaned some more. It was hot in the house, due to the electric company taking their sweet time to turn the power on so I felt really sorry for the kiddos. We decided to take them all out for ice cream as a treat for working so hard and doing it without complaining! As we're all enjoying our ice cream treat I look over and my son scored a Sharpie from somewhere and was writing all over his hand! He said he was making a hand puppet friend. I said through clenched teeth, "Aidan, do not write on your hand again...especially with a permanent marker and give me the Sharpie." He looks down at his hand and THE HAND says, "SHE DOESN'T LIKE ME...HEHEHE.." in a silly voice. All I could do was laugh. How do I get onto him for that? This is funny stuff! J wasn't helping. She thinks Aidan is quite hilarious. I am so thankful God blessed me with Aidan to help Him raise. We all get a big kick out of him. Makayla says, "having Aidan around makes the day go by faster and it's usually pretty fun." No one can make Makayla laugh quite like Aidan. Truth be told....no one makes me laugh quite like Aidan either. :) And of course I inserted a picture for your viewing pleasure of Handy Man. ;)

Multi-tasking might not be for me...

I woke up the other morning feeling quite ambitious. I made Makayla and Aidan eggs for breakfast, put chicken and rice in the crock pot for dinner all while talking to my sister on the phone. I was quite proud...well, until.....

I picked up the eggs to pour them onto the kids plate and I had forgotten the handle on my pan is kinda jiggly. It isn't to bad, but my first reaction was to stop the eggs from hitting the floor(which wouldn't have happened anyway, b/c the jiggle isn't that bad, really.) and I grabbed the bottom of the pan to stop the jiggle. The pan was hot. My index finger actually stuck to the pan. I didn't say any naughty words..I was pretty proud about that. :) I managed to burn all of my fingers and part of my thumb! It hurt bad! It was that kinda hurt that makes you nauseous. My sister talked me through. I ran it under coldish water and then applied a whole bunch of polysporin to my hand, several times that day. It's better today, but I'll admit I milked it while it lasted...which wasn't that long if you ask me. :/ Leon loaded the dishwasher, cleaned the counters and did a load of laundry. I watched with my mouth opened wide. I should have taken a picture. This doesn't happen to often in the Sanchez household...I would have liked to captured the memory. I'm better now. All crusty but better! Stinkin multi-tasking, only gets you in trouble. Don't try it. :)

Happy Fifth of July!

Well, yesterday was the Fourth and we celebrated with our town's fireworks. We sat in the VIP section with my husband's work and ate, visited and had fun with friends while we awaited the fireworks. Then all of a sudden, gusts of wind and down came the rain! We still got to see the fireworks...as we ran to the truck! Our kids don't really care about the fireworks anyway. They see them during football season right by our house for every home game. It's old news to them! This year we decided to do something different...We bought our own fireworks. Simple stuff, like sparklers, chasers, a few other popping stuff but nothing major. All kid friendly...or so it says! Since it rained on the fourth, we did our celebration in the backyard (don't tell the police) on the fifth. What's that saying, "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt"? Yeah, well...sparklers can be dangerous if given to our children, apparently. Aidan burned his foot, Makayla burned her arm. The good news is that they burned themselves and not each other! Gotta see the glass half full, you know! Anyway, Happy Independence Day, friends...I hope you and yours had a good one!!

Wig no more!!!

Most of you know that my Mom has been battling Cancer for nearly a year. She went through the surgery, chemo and radiation. She has been wearing a wig and never has let us see her without it, except for once, and it was purely accident. She said she didn't want us to see her without her wig because we lost our dad from Cancer when we were really young. She was afraid if we saw her without her wig it would bring back memories for us..bad memories of when my dad was sick and dying. So she has religiously worn it anytime we are around. Even through cancer, feeling awful, being very uncomfortable she still acted as our protector. She's amazing. I am so very proud of my mom.

I didn't get to spend the fourth with my family this year. We stayed at our house instead, but my Step-Dad sent me a picture of my Mom today via email. It said "Yesterday was the first day Mom went out without her wig on. Fixed her hair in a spike style. Isn't she beautiful?!?" I cried as soon as I saw her picture. Happy tears. She looked beautiful, healthy and so very strong...and like Mom again! Talk about the ultimate Independence Day. I'm so proud of her! And of course, I had to share her beauty with all of my blogger friends. Thanks for the prayers...I think they are working!!

Sweet, Sweet Makayla...

Have I mentioned how amazing my daughter is? She really is amazing. She is cultured...and so unlike me in many ways. She sews, she draws, she plays piano...she does things I can't imagine doing at her age or mine! It's funny because she is really shy, until you really get to know her. She doesn't like any attention drawn to her, making it hard to be Aidan's sister. :) She is beautiful and doesn't even know it...inside and out. I stand in awe of her quite often wondering where she inherited her many talents. She amazes me. I'm blessed to be her mom and proud, too.

Oh...I left out....

The other day, poor Aidan had another catastrophe! He was sliding off his wooden bunk bed and his basketball shorts were snagged by a small piece of wood and outchie right in the heinie! That's right, only my son can get a splinter in the heinie. He freaked. He comes in there and says, "Mom, we have a problem..." and the rest of what he said was completely inaudible. He screamed that he wanted to be put to sleep if I had to pull it out. Two surgeries and now he sees that as the easy way out of pain. After much convincing...ok not so much...I had to sit on him and yank really hard with tweezers to get that bad boy splinter out. It was the size of a toothpick. I know it was traumatic...well, for all of us! He was better instantly and thanked me over and over. That's right..I'm the best mom in the world for yanking that gigantic piece of wood from my son's heinie. Hey, I'll take it. Oh, and I am inserting a picture of the splinter for your viewing pleasure! Don't worry, it's an after picture! :) You can thank me later, I'm sure someday Aidan will thank me for sharing this bit of information...dontcha think? ;)

Normal..nope not us!

So just when you think things are back to normal...well, as normal as it can be in the Sanchez house anyway, then someone gets hurt! Who you ask? Why, Aidan, of course! This kid is going to be the death of me! Yesterday, while out in the pool he pulls his goggles from the top of his head down to put them on and he says he heard SNAP! Instant tears. He became irrational, irate, and really hard to talk to. He would not calm down. He kept telling us that his neck was broken! Ever since he broke his femur 10 months ago he thinks if he feels any sort of pain whatsoever, whatever it is, it's broken. It is really hard to calm him down and he's actually convincing! After about an hour, I was actually starting to wonder if maybe it was broken! I put in a call to his Dr. and he said that it was probably just a neck strain! That kid. We were laughing a little bit because it is the left side of his body (when you are looking at him.). He broke his left leg, had stitches on the left side of his forehead, his left ear was hurting when he got the ear infection...etc. My sister told him we could just cut him in half and eliminate the problem. He did not find Auntie rather funny yesterday and so much as told her so, too. :) I guess breaking his femur has really clouded his judgement-poor kid...but we're hoping he can straighten his head up by the end of the day...it's hard not to talk to him with your head cocked over, too. I'm telling you when that kid screams nowadays, my whole body trembles. He's an accident waiting to happen...according to his Doctor and I will admit..I AGREE! Full body cast or complete body padding in the future? Maybe...

It's Father's Day..

It's Father's Day and my Step-Dad lives a few hours away. I always struggle with what to get for our father's on this day. I'm not to good at buying for these important men in our lives. I know that with my step-dad he doesn't ever ask for much. Really nothing at all. He's really into sentimental things though..given from our heart. Thank goodness, that's pretty easy. ;) The kids did the work this year. Since my step-dad is a photographer and does live a few hours away and we weren't able to see him today the kids painted a big picture that read, "HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, PAWPAW!" They held it and we took their picture and emailed it to him. I am betting this gets framed. :)

Now would be the time to say, I am so thankful for Jerry. He has been through so much with everything that has gone on with my mom,the cancer and the treatments she has endured this year. He has taken care of her, taken her to appointments, learned more about this disease and tried so hard to do everything he can to make this a little easier for her. I am so grateful to him. It's rough to live a few hours away while your mom is battling an awful disease.But knowing she is being taken care of by him - that gives me peace. I've seen him cry and I've seen him try to understand why and my heart breaks for him. I see how very much he loves my mom and how very much he wants her to be well.

I didn't know if my mom would ever find someone so amazing after my dad died. My dad died, from cancer, when I was 10. My mom was 32. My age. She had 3 kids, 1 step-son and had to bury her husband. I can't imagine. She is strong. She is amazing, and now she has an amazing husband to share the rest of her life with who truly loves her for all that she is. We are all blessed Jerry came into our lives...and I am truly grateful for his love for my mom, for my sisters and myself, and for our children. We couldn't have asked for a more wonderful step-dad and PawPaw. Thank you, Jerry for loving all of us. We love you and are so thankful you came into all of our lives and we thank God for you everyday. I know my Dad is in Heaven looking down, proudly. I feel it. I know that he wanted my Mom to find happiness and I think he had a hand in giving us Jerry. I see him everyday in my children's smile, when I see their dimples. The same dimple he had. I know he is here in my heart living forever. I miss him everyday and I am truly grateful to have had him even if it was only 10 short years.

How wonderful is it that my Mom found love twice in this lifetime by two amazing men? I think she's blessed....we all are. :)

So we thought a pool was a great idea until...

Ear Infections! Makayla had swimmer's ear last week and this week apparently, it's Aidan's turn. I always want my kids to take turns, but come on!!! Makayla saw the doctor last week and they gave us a free sample of those ever-so-wonderful $100 drops. Thank God. Then 3 days later she was much better. Makayla is awful...let me repeat...AWFUL about being sick or taking any kind of medicine. It's a battle. I win, but it's a battle, none the less. By the time we are done medicating Makayla, I feel like I need to be in an institution. It drives me crazy! Why won't the kid take the medicine knowing she will feel better if she did?? UGH!!! Then Aidan went this week to see the Dr. just for a check-up. He said when the kids are done swimming put a few drops of the over the counter drops in their ears just to dry them out, so I did. I did Aidan's and then 3 hours later he woke up with ear pain...on a Friday night! GREAT. So we have battled the ear pain for 2 days now until we can get to the doctor on Monday. I really think maybe I shouldn't have put the drops in Aidan's ears. If it's not broke, don't fix it...comes to mind. I feel horrible, wondering if this is what has caused his ear pain. I know how very bad ear infections hurt. I had horrible ears as a child! HORRIBLE. I had tubes put in in 1st grade and one fell out in 3rd grade-just like it was supposed to-but the other ear just kept having issue after issue. I finally saw a doctor and he saw a glimpse of something blue...yep, a tube! I was in 7th grade by then. I had to have it surgically removed. I've had to wear ear plugs in my ears while swimming and showering my whole life to avoid ear problems. I guess my kids will, too. So wish me luck tonight, because last night Aidan woke me up every hour on the hour in pain. Poor buddy. On to the doctor tomorrow...no pool this week....and ear plugs for the rest of the summer! Hopefully, this third trip to the doctor is the charm....We'll see.

You might be a redneck if...

You might be a redneck if....you get one of those blow up the ring pools for your backyard! Yep, we're definitely REDNECKS in the Sanchez house! We got the kids the 18 x 48 blue ring pool from Academy the other day and man, it's a job to set that thing up. First of all, you have to find a level spot in your yard. And let's face it, to find a level spot in our yard is quite tricky...remember this is the yard that caused our house to flood 2 summers ago-touchy subject! But we found one semi-level. Then we decided to put 2 tarps down just in case the stubborn grass decides to pierce thru the pool and continue to grow. Maybe this would only happen in Texas or at our house..not sure which. Then we tried to smooth out the wrinkles! This is a job, let me tell you. I sat in the pool smoothed while Leon pulled. I smoothed so much that my legs are sore today! I'd like to think smoothing the wrinkles was kinda like working out. Hmm...anyway then the filling began. We filled, filled and filled some more. The kids could not contain themselves and jumped in when there was like 2 inches of water. Who would have thought 2 inches of water could be so fun? We filled all night, just about..then the rain came. SUPER! Anyway, the pool is filled now and the kids had a great time playing in it today. I even managed to lay on my float, with my sunglasses on, a diet coke in my hand and loads of sunscreen. I didn't even burn today! Alert the media, because this, my friend, is a miracle! I may actually have gained a tad bit of color...and maybe only 45 new freckles. :) I think the pool is going to be an asset this summer for the kids and for me.....I wonder if I will still hear those famous summer words..."I'm BORED!" Probably, but hopefully not for a day or two!

More...

Here is other pics from our visit with my Mom and Step-Dad.

My Step-Dad is a wonderful photographer so we always get the best snapshots of our kids, unrehearsed! I love it!

Oh, and it's official...I am now the Mom of a 3rd grader and a 6th grader! How did that happen? When did I get so old? Ugh....

Another year gone...

Well, it's officially Summer for me! I said goodbye to the sweetest class. I truly had the sweetest, fun class this year. I made them a slide show of our year together and cried! I couldn't believe how much they grew up in our short time together. I have 3 that are returning to me next year and I am glad I get to love them for another year. I said Goodbye to a few that are really close to my heart. My Julia and my Cameron will go to Kindergarten next year...and I know they are ready. They will do fine but I know I will always see them as being my Julia and my Cameron. It gets harder, every year, to send them out of my door! I feel really blessed to be a preschool teacher. I get to train little soldiers for Christ. I try to encourage them to be more like Jesus and to help them grow up in HIS word. And then if they learn some letters, sounds, a little Spanish(very little, b/c let's face it...I'm one really white..white girl!) I feel like I've accomplished something. This year, this class was loving, sweet and we shared so many giggles. My biggest goal as a preschool teacher is to be the teacher I would have wanted for my own children. I'm pretty sure this is what I am meant to do in life. It's really a blessing to be around so many wonderful kids and appreciative parents. I am so thankful they shared their children with me this year. We had an amazing year and I spent it with amazing people.

Words I try to live by...
God understood our thirst for knowledge, and our need to be led by someone wiser; He needed a heart of compassion, of encouragement and patience; Someone who would accept the challenge regardless of the opposition; Someone who could see potential and believe the best in others...so He made Teachers.

Oh, and for giggles and my fellow preschool teachers:

Top Ten Reasons to Become a Preschool Teacher
1. Cute little children. . .Cute little paycheck.
2. Confidence that you will never, ever forget to count to 10.
3. Attention span. . .Do they have one?
4. Shoes that untie themselves.
5. Get to sing your favorite songs over and over and over.
6. With all this bending, who needs aerobics?
7. Play, play, play.
8. Classroom art proudly displayed in kitchen "galleries".
9. Small hands. . .LARGE crayons.
10. We alone make little ones count.

:) I think I just might be blessed.

Memorial Weekend...

This is our pillow fight...don't tell Makayla that we were in her room!

The tree I thought was really neat looking!

This weekend, we had alot going on. We went to my niece, Julie's BBQ honoring her college graduation. I'm pretty proud about that! We had a great time and got to enjoy being around Leon's family and walking a neat part of Wichita that I didn't even know existed. There were trees I wanted to take pictures of, and some that I did. I walked with Leon's great niece, Alea, and learned that newly turned 3 year old girls like to talk about every kind of flower and pick up everything and take it home. We returned with a squished pinecone, a bird feather -which Aidan informed Alea that birds are disgusting and carry horrible diseases and she should really lather up later, a piece of bamboo and a flower from a strange bush. She asked me a bazillion questions about flowers, trees and bird diseases (thanks, Aidan.). I tried to answer to the best of my ability! We played with doodle bugs, slugs and all kinds of interesting things! After the BBQ, since Makayla spent the night with a friend, Aidan wanted to have a slumber party, too. His dad and I agreed it was only fair. We wrapped Aidan, like a mummy with his old ace bandages and then it was on! We had a pillow fight, which I'm pretty sure, Aidan won, with his dad's help. Then we all cozied in the bed and watched Goonies. We all agreed it was the best slumber party ever! What we didn't agree on, was Aidan sleeping in our bed. His dad just thought it might be a cozy night for all of us. Boy was he wrong! I slept ok, until Aidan smacked me in the throat with his Popeye arm. Well, it felt like a Popeye arm, anyway. Then Leon got up about 47 times to inform me that Aidan was all over him and he was going to the couch, which he never did. I think he just wanted to wake me so I would be just as uncomfortable as he was. Everytime I woke up, Aidan was facing a different direction. Sometimes his face was right by mine, sometimes his feet, sometimes other body parts, which was not pleasant to wake up next to. I'll leave it to your imagination. :) You can thank me later. Then the next morning, since we were SOOOOO well rested, we picked up Makayla and headed out for the day. First stop, my Mom and Step-dad's house. There is no place like Nanny and PawPaw's. The kids love it there. I was so thrilled to see my Mom. She is looking so much better. She is recovering nicely and seems to be feeling so much better. It's always comforting to see Prayer at work. I kissed her hello and thought, Thank you, God. After lunch with them and my sister we headed to my Aunt Deena's. The kids ran around with my favorite cousin's kids, lighting sparklers and just having a good time. I remembered being young running around doing the same thing with this very same cousin. Man, how I miss those days. I realize how lucky I really am to raise my kids with my family and let traditions carry on throughout the years and I think there will be alot more of these type of trips in our future. We came home late, fell asleep..this time with everyone in their own bed and woke up to our children giggling in the hallway. It was a wonderful weekend. I truly feel blessed. Thank you, God.

Field Day...

Oh, the joys of Field Day! Let me tell you, first of all, this is an all day affair! I got to go to Aidan's in the morning and be a spectator. Well sorta. Mostly I yelled at him from across an area to stay out of the bounce house, and to be careful running in the water! UGH! That boy! Just remember this is the kid that had a broken femur about 8 months ago-so Doctor's orders: BE VERY CAREFUL, for let's say...the next 7 years! Do you really know how hard it is to monitor everything your 8 year old does? Especially an eight year old boy? Let me just tell ya, there are times I just wanna throw in the towel. I don't... but oh, man..there are times! Anyway, I put the sunscreen on him, then me, then off(ed) him..not literally..just with the bug repellent stuff. HA! And then we were off and running again. His ended pretty well and then I went home for a quick nap, because let's face it yelling at a busy eight year old is quite draining, and then headed for Makayla's turn. For Makayla's group I actually had to be a game monitor person. Guess what game they had me in charge of? WATER BLASTERS. Seriously, WATER BLASTERS...who thought this up? The point of the game was to run around with water soakers and just spray the tar outta your classmates. So who's bright idea was it to make the fairest skinned, redheaded chick in charge of this game? I am convinced it was someone with very olive skin trying to get a giggle. Needless to say, I have about 45421781 new freckles, bringing the total to 7484513216546512 now. Super. Oh well, me and my freckles had a great time and then I took my kids to Chuck E Cheese for dinner and a little more play time. I'm pretty sure we're sleeping in tomorrow!! :)

Oh, the Swine Flu...

We went to The Dallas Science and Nature Museum about a week ago and now since I am officially a blogger I can tell you all about it! Oh, lucky you! :) Our kids are really into science. I am glad about that, because I really never was as a kid but as an adult I will say, I find it rather interesting! Anyway, when we arrived, we were in line to park and as we pulled up the man running the whole parking thing said, "Are you here for Cinco De Mayo?" Leon was like, "UH, No." And he said, "oh, sorry.." and then told us where to park. I instantly thought it was funny, because let's face it, if I was driving I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been asked that. Anyway, we found out they were having a Cinco De May celebration in the same area. OK so anyone who has been in public whatsoever, knows that the SWINE FLU is pretty much talked about all the time, so Aidan instantly pipes in with, "uh, oh, there are alot of Mexicans around here and one of the teachers at my school said the Mexicans are bringing the swine flu to Texas." Wow..that was a powerful statement from that teacher, I thought. And she might wanna watch out what she is saying. Anyway, on to the museum. Just days before this, Aidan told me not to kiss Leon because he didn't want me to get the Swine Flu, because his Daddy is Mexican and he might have it. I explained to Aidan that his Dad has never been to Mexico. Then he asked me about Grandpa and Grandma. Again, I explained to him that they were not from Mexico either. The boy is consumed with the Swine Flu! We're not going to let the Swine Flu ruin our day, we explained to Aidan. He asked for germy gel, just in case. We get to the museum and saw so many neat things. We dug for dinosaur bones, made huge bubbles, learned about vomit and mucus and pretty much everything gross that the human body is capable of producing. Fun, I tell ya! While digging for dinosaur bones, two sweet and really cute little Mexican-American girls came in to dig, too. Aidan saw them and stopped what he was doing and pushed himself against the wall and slid away as fast as he could. I was puzzled and wondering what he was doing..then I look to his father who is laughing uncontrollably. He said, "Aidan is trying not to catch the Swine Flu." I turned soooooo red. I was embarrassed but really trying not to laugh. Leon and Makayla were not doing a good job of holding it in. One of us had to be mature. And it fell on me. Hard to believe, I know. I looked at Leon and said, "It's time to go." I was terrified I was about to get my rear kicked! Leon and I have completely failed as parents of an interracial child...I'm convinced.

Wow, it's about time!

Well, this is it...my first blog! Where do I start?? HMMM....

Well, here's a bit about me: I'm Mandie. I'm married to Leon. We've been married for nearly 13 years now but together for nearly 18 years. For all you math geniuses...you're right, I've been with him over half my life, since I was 14 to be exact! :) We have two kids, a cat and a dog. . It's a normal life, with lots of laughter. Laughter is really important in the Sanchez Household. Our life consists of: Makayla, our daughter, is 11. She is pretty shy, until you really get to know her...I think she inherits this trait from her Dad. We all know she didn't inherit this from me! Along with everything else..you will soon see a picture. Makayla and her Dad really favor. Makayla is the pretty one though. :) Makayla doesn't like any attention drawn to her. Someone once told me that she reminds them of Violet from The Incredibles. Pretty much. She is really amazing though. She does things I can't imagine doing at her age. She sews, crochets, draws, and plays piano. She is very creative and artistic. Then there is Aidan. He's 8...and all about EVERYONE looking at him. He says things and does things that I think are hilarious. I always have an Aidan story to tell, so pull up a chair. He makes me laugh like no other. God really knew what He was doing when He decided to share Aidan with me. Then there is me...I'm a Wife, a Mom and a Pre-School Teacher. I love my 3 jobs..Seriously these three jobs really equal like 39438974873247, I'm thinking..but anyway, I have the best jobS in the world. My husband is an Auto Technician, which really means, he works on every one's car but mine. :) I love him more than you can imagine, but he says he loves me more. Funny thing is my friends and family agree with him. We have a sweet life...if I do say so myself, hence the reason I named my blog this. I think I am beyond blessed. I have a wonderful family, sweet friends, an awesome job and I live for the Lord..doesn't get much better than this! So I invite you to follow my life and laugh with me, because let's face it....Life is pretty darn funny!