Christmas is Here!

 I love the holidays, and this is a very special Christmas because the kids older brother and sister, Luis and Sandra will be joining us from WI. We have kept the kids in touch with each other with Skype and visits but this will be the first time they have been able to join us for the holidays! Luis and Sandra will fly in on Christmas Eve day and spend a week with us. The kids are very excited to see them and it will make this Christmas holiday a very special one to have them here with us. We know they have never had a huge Christmas like we have always given our kids with special new pajamas on Christmas Eve!

 

Decorating A Gingerbread House

It is time once again for the traditional gingerbread house decorating. Last year I bought three individual ones so each person had their own and that worked great. I decided just to buy one this year though for the kids to work on together and they did a really good job. I don't know if they enjoy doing it or they do it because I give it to them as something to do because they don't communicate their thoughts and feelings a lot but I am just trying to give them the different traditions and opportunities I know they never had.

Soccer Time

Ingrid is passionate about soccer and loves playing for the Odyssey Minotaur's! She use to like basketball and was convinced that she was going to go into the WNBA, even though she is vertically challenged! Soccer is a much better sport for her, and we love that she is part of a team. 

Decorating for Christmas

We try to decorate for Christmas over Thanksgiving weekend, starting on Friday. All of the kids got involved and helped, which we were thankful for!

We incorporated Santa when the kids came since it was again a tradition they had never had. Juan decided to take Angie's balloons from her party and attach his letter and send it!

Turkey Time!

Through all the ups and downs, we have a lot to be thankful for. Grandma and Grandpa took the kids shopping for our turkey after school one day and everyone pitched in and helped make things for the big Thanksgiving dinner. Ingrid usually helps make the seafoam salad, Juan the spinach casserole, and Angie the rice pudding. Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Angie!

It is Angie's 16th birthday, and she wanted a Paris theme. Because Angie did not really have any Latino friends, we opted for a big sweet sixteen party rather than a Quinceanera. We had a great turn out, and I think she had a lot of fun. Like everything, one day the kids will hopefully look back and appreciate our efforts or at least know we tried our best!

Band!

 One of the things we loved about sending the kids to school versus continuing to homeschool was the opportunities school would offer that we just couldn't like Spanish class and Band. Band was a huge part of my life and I played both the piccolo and flute through high school and college. When the opportunity came up for the kids to try Band at Odyssey, it was an avenue we wanted them to at least explore. Juan decided to try the trumpet. Ingrid played the clarinet. Angie played my flute. I am very thankful they had this opportunity! This picture was taken at Angie's fall concert.

Happy Halloween

 We have gone from picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch to picking out pumpkins at the grocery store but at least we are still sticking with the tradition of picking out pumpkins, carving them, and roasting the seeds! Ingrid and Juan dressed up and went out trick or treating. Even the dogs, Snoopy and Buddy, were forced to get dressed up this Halloween in a costume!!

A Trip to Sedona

We had friends that told us about "Passion for Purity", which is a Biblical way of teaching kids about staying pure until they are ready for a marriage commitment. The idea is to go away for the weekend so there are no distractions and make it special, so we did. We planned a special weekend get away to Sedona. We covered the material during the morning and then enjoyed some time outside in the afternoon. We enjoyed an expensive and special dinner at the resort.  

In hindsight, Ingrid and Juan may have been a little young but Angie already has a boyfriend so needed to hear all of this. We presented her with a purity ring at the end and tried to make it special and a big deal. We are doing everything everyone tells us we should do to be good parents it is just extremely challenging to connect a lot of the time! We will keep trying though because what other choice do you have!

Special Time with Papi

 We tried to think outside the box for presents for Ingrid and Juan's birthdays this year and give them something they could do with Dainis, who the kids call Papi. Juan loves baseball so we gave him the gift of a Diamondbacks game together. Ingrid loves horses so we gave her the gift of going horseback riding. They loved them!