Putting up some Christmas decorations

This morning when I arrived home, instead of going to sleep, we all worked on connecting the train tracks and putting up the Christmas tree. Once the train was on the tracks, the girls enjoyed playing with the train for about 30 minutes before we put up the tree. We bought the train last year in memory of Neal, and the also the memory of Neal always having the train around the Christmas tree. He would always wear his "Conductors" hat and operate the train.
Tomorrow, we'll finish up with the ornaments and trimmings on the tree. The house is starting to look very festive. I love this time of year, and it is so magical when there are children to enjoy the decorations.

A Nice day after Thanksgivng

The day after Thanksgiving we invited some of our neighbors over to visit. We rented some DVDs and popped some popcorn. The kids also played some card games, which was a lot of fun. Old Maid got really loud, as the Old Maid was passed around.

Thank you Mario!!!

Thank you Mario! I spoke with Mario today, and I felt like 10 years was caught up in 45 minutes. Mario has been very involved in the cause with Karina and the Heidi Search Center. It was nice to hear about Joseph. THANK YOU MARIO!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday, we all enjoyed Thanksgiving with Carlos' sister and family. We ate outside, since the weather was very pleasant. Later in the evening we all sat around the fire pit and visited.

Peace and Quiet before Thanksgiving tomorrow

I have everything ready for tomorrow, and things are quiet here at home. My rose bushes are just covered with blooms. With this crazy weather, I don't know much longer we will be able to enjoy the roses out on the deck. Tomorrow, Carlos' sister and brother with their families will be coming for Thanksgiving dinner. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Poemas sin Postres

Today in Azul's class, they had the traditional "Poemas y Postres". But this year, there is a new school regulation on childhood obesity, so it has been changed to "Poems without the desserts afterwards". Any way, it was so cute to see all of the children recite their poems and Thanksgiving knock, knock jokes! Azul had a little speaking part also. Aden's class is next door, and her teacher allowed her to attend. The girls are off Wednesday through Sunday for the Thanksgiving holidays.

Happy Birthday Gaby!

Happy Birthday Gaby! Yesterday we all went to an afternoon birthday party for one of our friend's daughter, Gabriela. She turned 3, and the theme was the Mickey Mouse Club. There were games, a pinata, and lots of food and cake. We all have a nice time.

Graduation ceramony

Last night was our graduation for the SPANISH BILINGUAL ASSISTANT program at Dell Children's Medical Center. This was a 40 hour class for spanish speaking personal, to obtain the certification to function as an interpreter within the hospital setting. The entire class was in spanish, and it was the equivalent of taking Anatomy and Physiology in spanish. The class was very changeling, but well worth the time. We started with 40 students and only 30 graduated. I made an "A" in the class. Carlos took off last night, and we had a really nice evening.

It's Time to Clean up the Garden!

Our poor garden ended up with ALL of the left over trash and junk from our patio project! I told Carlos, that I have to start working now to clean up this mess, since this is going to be a BIG JOB! I actually took these pictures after I had cleaned up five boxes of broken pavers and tile. Carlos is going to make a walk way with these left over paver stones in front of the storage shed. Not only is our garden filled with pavers etc...the workers also put a lot of the caliche that they dug out of the ground prior to laying the pavers. I miss having fresh tomatoes etc...so this is WORTH all of the work. I am going to have to replace all of the dirt also. I also took a picture of our roses on the one side of the patio. We had planted three roses on the one side of the patio, and they have done great. The other roses that are on the opposite side haven't done as well, probably since there is too much sun and heat.

SMILE!

Smile Aden! Today Aden had three front upper baby teeth pulled at the dentist. Aden is a very SPECIAL girl! Her two front upper permanent teeth are completely rotated, even while up in the gums! As soon as all of the permanent teeth are in, she will be getting braces. It's funny, because when she smiles, she is all gums!

Azul's End of the Season Party!

Last night Azul had her end of the season party. It was changed to the park were the kiddos practiced during the season. Azul and her team mates all got their trophies and had pizza. The girls are already looking forward to next season. For now, I'm glad there is a BREAK!

Our Last Game This Season!

Yesterday was the girls last game of the season. The weather this fall season has been beautiful! Aden scored 6 goals and Azul scored one goals yesterday! Both of the girls seem to be just loving soccer, and their GOOD at it! It is going to be nice to have a break from practices and games etc...and soccer will begin again in March. Tomorrow is Azul's soccer party at Mr. Gattiland. Aden's soccer party is in a couple of weeks. VIVA SOCCER!

Only One More Soccer Game!!

Aden and Azul have only one more game! YEA!!! They both played today and both have a game next week. My battery quit on my camera half way through Azul's game, so I don't have any pictures of Aden to post. This has been such a great fall season!

Fall Festival

Last night we went to a fun Fall Festival at a local church. We all had a really fun time. There were games, puppets, music, and lots more.