Happy 2009!!!

I am so excited to see what the new year has in store for me and my family. I have a great feeling that this year is going to be great. I hope you all have a great New Years eve night. We will try to stay up and eat our traditional 12 grapes and drink a glass of champagne. Have a safe and fun New Years. I will leave you with a cute picture from our final Sea World trip for the year. See you all next year!!!! Love, Vickie

YAY I WON!!

I was so excited to check my friends blog to see that I won one of her giveaways. She makes great jewelry. It's perfect and so dainty. I had purchased some cute earrings in the past, but this month I was lucky and won some cute dangle earrings. I love to get things in the mail. What a treat. They were perfect just in time for the holiday season. If you want to check out her blog go to the right of my blog and check out OUR DELIGHTFUL LIFE. Her ETSY store is great. Thank you so much!! I love them.

Our Christmas Morning

We had a wonderful day. The best was seeing the looks on the kids faces when they came down the stairs. We had a blast watching Mia and Ava take turns in the Mustang. And Robert just sat on his bike all morning. Of all the days that week, Christmas had to come on a rainy day. Mia also loved her princess table. Ava got the new Elmo live and she loved it. Santa was also good to me too. I got perfume (my absolute favorite one), Top Chef cook book (love that show),WII fit with a Jillian Michaels game (all of you who watch The biggest Loser know who this is), and Mama Mia!!! We really did have a good day. Gifts aside that whole day was great. I love to sit back and watch the kids and my husband play. Sometimes I just sit back and wonder how I got so lucky. I have 3 great kids and a wonderful husband. We hope you all have a great Holiday Season.

We love the holidays

I love my house this time of year. The lights, the colors, everything. I tried to decorate our home as much as I could. But a little girl( I won't mention any names) AVA takes everything down. My tree barely has ornaments on it. The ouside of my home is great. My hubby did a great job. Just when I thought he was done, he left to Lowes and came back with more. I have a few pictures of the house before the Lowes trip. Enjoy the pictures of our home. Enjoy the weather, your family, and the holiday season. Have a great weekend.

Hello

Just wanted to stop in and say hi to everyone. I am never online anymore because I am busy with the new baby and trying to adjust to 3 kids. It isnt easy I must say. I really want to write a book for moms with more than 2 kids because all of the books I see are for new moms. The other night I had to go to a healthfood store to get something for little mister because he is having some sort of belly problems....so I get there and he was asleep and halfway through the store he woke up and was flipping out bigtime. So I pay and get the 2 girls and go out to the car. I breastfeed him and he was still upset so I gave him some formula then breastfed again then gave him Gripe Water and that really made him cry so it had the opposite effect I guess then I just finally kinda calmed him and thought I better go home since it was 9pm and I had been in the car for about an hour already. So I tried to turn on the car and it wouldnt turn on so the battery was acting up. So I have the baby crying and the girls fighting and saying they were starving and wanted hamburgers but were fighting over where to go meanwhile I am almost in tears. So I get my kids and go BACK into the store ask for the phone because of course I dont have the cell phone. I called my husband to come get me and got the kids a sandwhich and chips and went BACK out to the car and guess what?? The car started and the baby calmed down enouggh only because before attempting to start the care I BREASTFED AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I need a book that tells me what to do in these situations!!. I must say I forgot how time consuming breastfeeding is. Also this is the first time I was brave enough to take a baby out so small on my own which I wont do it again for a while. It is scary.

I like my meat........

CURRIED
MARINATED
SAUTEAD
BBQ
BOILED
GRILLED
BUTTERFLIED
ROASTED
SMOKED
SHREDDED
GROUND
FRIED

YOU MUST SAY THIS WITH THE FOREST GUMP ACCENT SINCE ME AND VICKEY HAD NOTHING BETTER TO DO AND WERE CRACING UP REMEMBERING HOW HE AND BUBBA WERE TALKING SHRIMP SO WE STARTED TALKING BEEF. ARE THERE MORE WAYS U LIKE YOUR BEEF?
HAHAHA

Family time this Thanksgiving

I do love this time of year. Thanksgiving in a few days, and then Christmas just around the corner. I love the smells, the lights, the cool weather, and being around family. This Thanksgiving we will be celebrating Thanksgiving at my Grandmas. My Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, my Sister from San Francisco and my Mom will all be there. I am really bummed that Lisa(my older sis)can't make it out. We will miss her very much. And not only are we celebrating Thanksgiving, we get to sing Happy Birthday to my Grandpa and my son. They were both born on November 27th. Yay birthday cake!! We also get to toast with champagne. My sister's Boyfriend proposed on Sunday. Yay again!! I am so happy for them. This Thanksgiving we have so much to be thankful for. I know at times I may not show it or act like it, but I am so blessed with so may great things, especially my Family.
P.S: The picture posted is my younger sister and her fiance CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The funny little thing that Ava does

Do your kid's do cute, funny things when they are getting sleep, relaxing or about to pass out for a nap? My little Ava does the funniest thing. As soon as she gets her bottle with water or milk she goes straight for her belly button. She always seem to do this when she is tired or is drinking something. It's pretty funny. I have heard of kids pulling on there ears or reaching for the satin part of a blanket, but the belly button. It's so funny to me. We noticed it pretty early on. I took a picture so you can see Miss Ava in action. Do your kiddos do anything like this??

STILL in the NICU

I just wanted to thank you Vik for posting and we are still here. We should be going home today. His levels were actually up again. They were 19.5 when we got here and after a few days of photo therapy they went down to 12.4 and are now up to 13.5. I guess it is normal for it to go up on the 5th day or so . We will have to see the doctor tomorrow and have the levels tested.
I must say it had been an very hard year. Many things have happened but I am hoping things will get better. I thought our hospital stays were over . I just need my life to get back on track somehow. Just being here seeing all of the sick babies and kids has made me realize how LUCKY we are to have healthy kids. I cant imagine having a child with cancer or any other serious illness. In the NICU it is pretty sad. We are at the Phoenix Childrens Hospital and it is really a sad place to be. I am grateful the what Abe had was easy to fix even though I must say I was in tears and a total mess the first few days and have had little to no sleep. Just seeing him under those lights and not being able to hold him when he needed me just about killed me.
I did go home for about an hour to take a shower and also gave the girls a shower and got them dolled up since my husband isnt that great at the hair thing. It was nice to see the girls. Also my house is a total mess. I dont know .....mabey a hurricane passed through there while I have been here and it also smells very funky.
I just ask you all to please keep me in your prayers as usual.
Lisa

My poor Nephew is in the NICU

I'm really sad to say that my nephew Abel is in the hospital. They admitted him Thursday night and he has been there ever since. He is Jaundice. His levels on the blood work he had done were very high. My poor sister Lisa has been through so much during her pregnancy. Not only was she sick the whole 9 1/2 months but she also had so many other thing happen during her pregnancy. And she now has her newborn baby in the hospital. We are all praying that he will be home soon. Please say a little prayer for them. I will post pictures as soon as she sends them. Have a good Sunday.

Ablelardo (Abel) has arrived!!!!!!!!!!!

My little man has arrived. I am so happy you guys dont even know. He is the best baby too. Sleeps and eats but does have a temper. He hates to be changed. I mean hates it so I am sure his first sponge bath later will be nice.
The birth went well and he was born Friday after days of contractions and no sleep. I was so tired I felt like I couldnt even push anymore evn though I only pushed for like 20 minutes. This time is the first time I really felt like I got ran over by a train but today is better. I was in the hospital for 2 days mostly because he was having some fast breathing which seems to be something called STRIDER so if anyone knows about that please give me more information.
We are home now and I just ate my first homemade meal (not hospital food) and I must tell you I have never appreciated being able to eat so much. I was still a little nauseated this morning but I think I am getting over it. Sometimes it takes time.
Well thank all of you for your support throughout.
Lisa

My son's bedroom makeover

This weekend was was so nice and a little sad at the same time. We transformed Roberts room into a pre-teen room. We painted his room a darker color, and hung a few things (we have to look for some more photos and football stuff). My Grandparents, my mom, my Uncle and Aunt all pitched in to buy him new furniture and accessories for his new room. They wanted to get him something for his Birthday and decided on helping with his Bedroom makeover. It was so great of them. They bought him A bed, desk, nightstand, bed comforter and sheets, some goodies for his desk and a desk lamp. His room looks great. The sad part is that my little boy is growing up. He will be 12 years old on Turkey day. I am excited about seeing what kind of a young man turns out to be. I really hope I taught him well and hope he will make great decisions in the years to come. Enjoy the makeover pictures. The first picture was the only pic I had of his room before.

YAY!!! My nephew is finally here

If you're wondering why my older sister Lisa has not posted in awhile, well it's because she has been trying to deal with her last days of pregnancy and in pre-labor since Monday night. I felt so bad for her. She finally gave birth to her son this morning at around 9:30am. He weighed 7lbs. 13oz. He was having some trouble breathing at first, but my sister said he is doing well. I don't have pictures yet. I really hope to get them soon. They did pick a name for him but I am not sure if its a sure thing. As soon as I get details I will post them. I can't wait for her to start feeling better and get back to normal. She has had such a hard pregnancy. She really needs a break. I wish we lived closer. These are the times in life when we need family around. Have a great weekend!! Vickie

Fall Ball is over!

Today is Robs last day of Baseball. It was his first season of baseball. He wanted to play baseball instead of football this year. He did pretty good. He liked it but missed the excitement of football. He said he is definitely going to play football next year. I think he looks like a baseball player, but I think it's me just wanting him to play a less aggressive sport. Of course his dad is all over him wanting to play his favorite sport. I am glad that he is up to playing sports, it makes me feel better about him doing something instead of wanting to play video games all day. Either way I would be proud of him. He is always so busy and he still manages to get A's and B's in school. I hope he continues to play sports in middle school next year, and in high school.(oh my gosh he's going to be in middle school next year, 7th grade) I know we are coming up on the hardest years of a preteen's and teenagers life, but I really hopes he find a sport that he loves and sticks with. I love you Rob keep up the good work.- Mommy (Vickie)

Yummy in my Tummy Taco Soup

Every week I make a weekly menu. We really like tacos around here so It's pretty much on the menu once a week. I try to change the taco fillings every once and awhile to make it different. Last week I got my Kraft food and family magazine, and there was a great recipe for Taco soup. I was so excited to find this. It was just what I needed to give Taco Tuesday a little twist. The soup was so yummy and warm for a cold fall evening. Here's the recipe:
1lb. extra lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
3 cans of chili beans(15 1/2 oz cans) mild chili beans, undrained
1 can of of whole tomatoes(14 1/4oz), undrained
1 can of corn(14 1/4oz), undrained
1 can of tomato sauce(8oz)
1 pkg of taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of cheese

- Brown Beef with onions in a large sauce pan; drain
- Add all remaining ingredients except cheese; stir, breaking up the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low heat for 5min.,stirring occasionally.
- Serve topped with cheese
Extra ideas: I added cilantro to mine. I also had a bowl of tortilla chips to dip in the soup.

My family loved it, I hope you give it a try. It was soooo good. -Vickie