Shrek

You can't see but Shrek was totally dancing.

Walking the Red Carpet

Puss in Boots and Wendi and Diego.  The superstars.

Snow Tubing

It is very fun going down those snowhills. 

Waiting for the Movie

We entertained ourselves while waiting for the movie to start.

The Coolest Place in Grapevine

We spent Christmas Eve at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine.  If you ever visit the DFW area you need to go there.  It's incredible!  We did so many things.  We saw Puss in Boots in 3D.  Met Puss in Boots, Shrek, and Fiona.  We got to walk the red carpet and take pictures with all the characters.  It was so fun.  We also ate gourmet popcorn and treats.  Yummy!!  After the movie, we went up and down the Kung Fu Panda Snowhills.  I think the kids really enjoyed the hills.  We lost Diego for about 5 minutes in which we all suffered terribly but as soon as we found him, we were back to enjoying ourselves.  Believe me, they were the longest five minutes of my life.  All of our lives could have changed so suddenly.  But all is well.  After the snowhills we had lunch at a very good Mexican restaurant that was supposed to look like it was on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.  Want to see the pictures?  Okay, you convinced me.  I'll post them in a minute.  After the restaurant, we were able to see the Shrek the Halls ice sculptures.  There are no words to describe the beauty and grandness of this attraction.  You really have to come.  The kids could also slide down ice slides while there.  Oh, and it snows on you.  Cool?  Uh, yeah!! Very cool.  We then, got to meet the characters of Madagascar, and Po from Kung Fu.  The Gaylord is a resort and is as big and fabulous as they get.  Trust me, if you come, you need to visit that place.  Wow!!  We were able to enjoy this wonderful adventure because it was Grandpa's Christmas gift.  We missed going to El Paso, but this was definitely fun. 

11 Years

 

December 23rd was our anniversary.  I can't believe we've been married for 11 years.  Time has gone by very fast.  I love this man and the family that we have formed together.  To celebrate our day, we went out to eat (with the kids) and then went to the mall to find me a gift.  I didn't find anything, but I did get a beautiful bouquet of roses and a lovely card.  I love you Ruben!  I'm so glad that we will be together for eternity. 

Roller Skating

The kids' school put on a skate night at the roller rink and of course we took advantage of it.  Wendi and Diego had lots of fun trying to skate. 

Piano Concert

Sis. Butler attends our ward and is a professional classically trained pianist.  She invites Wendi to play for her on Christmas on her amazing piano.  Wendi loves doing it and has lots of fun.  It's one of Wendi's new  Christmas traditions.  We love to be her audience. 

My Cute Family

Ok, so I'm very biased, but I think these guys are really cute.  And no, the elves are not my children.  :)

Wendi and Santa

I love her sweet little spirit.  She loves Christmas and all that it represents.

Diego and Santa

Diego looks a little scared of him.  He wouldn't look at him throughout their whole interchange.  Funny!

Church Christmas Party

Santa and Mrs. Claus came to our party.  The kids were so excited!!

Christmas Party

Diego had his first Christmas party at school.  They got to wear pajamas and eat pizza.  They also had a book exchange and saw movies.  Such cute kids!

Christmas Party

Now that is the face of a happy little boy!!  I think he is enjoying that cookie. Hee! Hee!

Mini Bi-Plane

Diego had to make a 3D model of a transportation vehicle and we made a plane out of cardboard.  It was so not fun, but we finished.  Yay!!

Bethlehem Revisited

Every year in Waxahachie they have a wonderful representation of what life was like in Bethlehem on the night Christ was born.  We love going there.  They have live camels and everything.  It's pretty amazing!

Christkindl

Arlington had it's first annual Christkindl fair and we had a great time eating German goodies and lovely German crafts. 

Superman

Wendi rode the Superman ride for the first time.  She was sooooo excited.  I was a bit nervous, but she loved it.  :)

There goes Wendi

Here is Wendi and her friend Clarissa.  They sure look like they are having fun.

Holiday in the Park

We don't get much snow around here but that doesn't mean we can't go sledding. :)

Oreo Truffles

I made oreo truffles for the first time last week.  They look a little ugly but they were pretty good.  I can't wait to make some more.  I'm going to make them for my kids' teachers for Christmas.

Brother Yates

Yesterday, we went to visit our favorite person.  We had dinner with him and Wendi played Christmas music for him on her keyboard.  We had a wonderful time.  Brother Yates lost his sweetheart a year ago and it has been a very hard year for him but we hope we brought a bit of joy to him last night.  He's a wonderful person.

A Gift to the World

I could watch this over and over again.

Rejected Christmas Pictures

We took lots of pictures for our Christmas cards.  This was their first outfit.  Hee! Hee!  Yes, I use my kids like dolls and dress them up every which way I want.  I'm lucky because they let me. :)

Nativity 2011

Wendi played at our stake's Nativity.  She played for 45 min.  She did wonderful.  She loves playing the piano and prepared for many, many hours for this great event.  We are so proud of her.

Elfie, the Elf

Our Elf on the Shelf has come out to check on Wendi and Diego until Christmas.  We love this little tradition.  We got Elfie last year but this is his first year checking on their behavior.  I hope Santa sees how good they are and will bring them what they most want.

Christmas Cards

I've been lazy this year and just recently took pictures for our Christmas cards.  This is the one we liked the best.  Hope you like our Christmas cards.  

Antonio's Game

This picture is so funny.  Antonio looks huge next to Diego.  Before we came back home, we were able to see Antonio play one of his playoff games.  It was so much fun.  Go Bulls!!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I love my family.  Here is a picture of all of us on Thanksgiving.  My mom is in the front with Giovanny.  Giovanny is my sister's fiance's son.  My sister is next to me and also next to Chris.  Jared is next to Wendi and Antonio is on the other side.  And then of course, there's us.  We had a really good time.  The food was delicious.  Chris is a chef and prepared all of our dinner.  He even made posole.  It was incredible.  We ate lots of good food, played lots of Wii, watched the Muppet Movie, ate pizza, and spent lots of time together.  I'm so glad to be a part of this family.  We missed them as soon as we started our trip back home.  Can't wait to see them all again. 

Thanksgiving Parade

While in El Paso, we enjoyed the Thanksgiving Parade.  My mom lives a street away from where the parade goes through.  It is a huge El Paso tradition.  We love the parade.  This year the floats really kicked it up a notch.  It was pretty beautiful.  We love El Paso. 

Jared William Reed

This is my nephew Jared.  He is my hero.  He doesn't let anything stop him.  Not only is he extremely handsome but he is kindhearted and has one of the most beautiful, sensitive souls ever.  I love Jared very much.  He is my inspiration when I think something is too hard to do because nothing ever stops him from doing what he wants to do.

Antonio Jason Reed

This is my nephew Antonio.  I am so thankful to be his aunt.  I love him very much.  He is very smart and is very good at sports.  He is very sweet to Wendi and Diego and I know that he has a bright future ahead of him.  We loved spending time with him.

Carlsbad Caverns

It took us forever but we explored every part of the cave.  Diego kept asking for the elevator.  We had fun time.  It's such an incredible place to visit.

Carlsbad Caverns

Before we got to El Paso, we stopped at Carlsbad Caverns.  It was so fun and so hard to go down into the cave.  My knees were killing me.  Just another sad reminder that I'm getting old.  The caverns were beautiful.  I was so happy that we could share them with our children.

Road Trip

For Thanksgiving, we took a road trip down to El Paso.  It is such a looooooonnnnngggg drive.  Wendi took pictures of Diego to make the time go faster.  LOL!!

Two Dollars

Have you ever seen the movie, Better off Dead? It's really old and very funny.  It stars John Cusack.  Anyways, I always think of the newsboy following John around and asking for his two dollars.  It's a silly thing but after what I witnessed with my children, I don't think I'll think of the movie when I think of two dollars now.  The other day, Diego found a greeting card in his bookshelf with two dollars in it.  He came and showed me and was very excited that he had found money.  He asked me what I thought he should do with them.  I told him that he should put it in his piggy bank and he left to his room.  A little while later, I hear him telling Wendi that there was a surprise on her desk and that she should go see what it is.  She runs to her room and comes back with the greeting card and the two dollars.  He had crossed off his name and written her name and had given her the two dollars.  I couldn't help but cry at this gesture.  He's five years old and I couldn't help but be so proud of his little heart and the way his mind worked.  I'm the first to admit we are not perfect.  We are not even close.  I make many mistakes.  I'm not always the greatest example or the greatest mom.  But at that moment, I felt pretty good.  I hope I was a little bit of an influence on his actions. I love being a mom and I love my family.

30 Days of Thanksgiving

On Facebook, many of my friends are doing the 30 days of Thanksgiving where they write something they are thankful for every day of the month of November.  I thought it was a wonderful idea and would like to write the thirty things I'm thankful for.
1.  I'm thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I am a Mormon and I am a Christian.  I believe in Jesus Christ.  I know He lives and that He loves me.  I know that if we trust Him, we have nothing to fear.  I am thankful for His teachings and His sacrifice. 
2.  I'm thankful for my mom.  She has always had faith in me and is my biggest cheerleader.  She loves me with all her heart and only wants my happiness.  I love her.
3.  I'm thankful for Ruben.  He's still the happiest, smartest, nicest, most hard-working man I know.  He's pretty sexy too.
4.  I'm thankful for Wendi Thaiis.  She made me a mom.  She's such an incredible little girl.  She's so insightful and ambitious.  She's going to conquer the world.  Just wait!
5.  I'm thankful for Diego Xoaquin.  He is just a little ball of love.  He just wants to give love, be loved and have lots of fun being loved and loving us.  He's pretty cool!
6.  I'm thankful for my grandparents, Sara and Jose.  I am so extremely proud to be their granddaughter.  They changed our family's legacy.  I hope I honor them with my life.
7.  I'm thankful for my sister, Wendy.  She's the only person in this world who shares my sense of humor and who can make me laugh so uncontrollably that I feel I'm going to pee.  Ha!!
8.  I'm thankful for my aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins.  I love being a part of a large family.
9.  I'm thankful for my house.  It's all mine and I can do anything I want with it.
10.I'm thankful for my car.  It has been very reliable and I'm grateful that I can use it to take my children to all of their activities.
11.I'm thankful for music.  Music is what makes my heart explode.  Music is the language that I understand the most.
12. I'm thankful for friends.  So many people have touched my heart in so many ways.  I wouldn't be the same person if I hadn't met every single one of them.  You know who you are.
13.I'm thankful for my husband's job.  It has provided us with travel, and many fun and exciting adventures.  It has also provided us with food and sustenance.
14.I'm thankful for my health.  I don't have perfect health, but because of modern medicine and the fact that I can buy medicine, I'm able to maintain a good level of health and hope to be around to see my children grow up to become independent adults.
15. I'm thankful for technology.  I'm addicted to it.  I can't imagine my life without it.
16. I'm thankful for books.  I wish I could read all the books in the world.  That's how much I love reading.
17. I'm thankful for Texas.  I love this state.  It's not the friendliest, or even the smartest, but it's the greatest.
18. I'm thankful to live in this country.  I love the United States. It is my home and the land I call mine.
19. I'm thankful for my heritage.  My heart is American but the blood that pumps through it is Mexican.  Ahuaa!!
20. I'm thankful for amusement parks.  Yes, I'm weird that way.
21. I'm thankful for the ocean.  It is my favorite place on earth. 
22. I'm thankful for chocolate. 
23. I'm thankful for the tender mercies in my life. 
24. I'm thankful to have served a mission for my church.  It changed my life and I think about it every single day of my life.  I'm thankful for the people that I met while on my mission and the places that I visited.
25. I'm thankful for my education.  I use my degrees every day of my life while educating my children.
26. I'm thankful for the experiences that I've had in my life.  They made me the person I am today.  I like the way I think.  I like the way I can read people and I like my sense of humor. 
27. I'm thankful for my dreams.  They make me keep on going and trying to achieve bigger and better things.
28. I'm thankful for feeling love and being able to love. 
29. I'm thankful for temples.  It gives me such confidence to know that my family is sealed for eternity and that no matter what happens here on earth, we will be together forever.
30.  I'm thankful for Thanksgiving!!  Sometimes we have to be reminded to be thankful for all the wonderful things in our lives. I am thankful!! I know I'm blessed.

An Evening of Jazz

I got free tickets to go hear Arlington Jones at the Eisemann Center and Wendi and I went to hear him play the piano.  He is a classically trained pianist but plays jazz.  Wendi and I enjoyed it very much.  I'm not really into jazz, but now we can say that we heard Chopin get jazzed up.  Bet you can't say that!  Can you?  Well, we have and it was AWESOME!!!

Diego and his Teacher

I really, really, wanted a picture of ONLY Diego and his teacher but I couldn't get rid of the little turkey behind them.  Little Ben would just not move away.  Oh well, it's a cute picture anyway. 

Thanksgiving Feast

Diego had his first Thanksgiving feast at school on Friday.  He didn't eat a single thing but he had fun.  That kid is so picky, it's sick.  I take that back, I think he ate a carrot.  Ha!  His little buddies are Austin and Ben, three little turkeys.

Crazy Family

This picture makes me laugh!  They are so funny.

End of the Season Party

Wendi had her pizza party to celebrate a great season with her dance class.  They had pizza and fun.  Aren't these little girls cute?

Last Game of the Season

Go Phillies!!  The Phillies celebrated a great season by having pizza and getting trophies.  Here is Diego with his coach.

The Haircut

Here is Wendi with 6 inches less of hair.  She loves her haircut. 

We Finished!

We did it! We did it! Lo hicimos!!!  Go us!! 

I did it!!!

I actually finished a 5k.  This is the first race I've ever participated in.  It was really hard and I basically walked the whole way, but we want to do more and now the next race will be even easier.

Before the Race

Here they are before the race.  I'm not going to lie, we were all a bit scared. :)

Our First 5K

Today we ran our first 5k as a family.  The kids' school held their annual 5k and carnival and we thought we would try running the 5k.  This picture was taken outside our house right before driving to the school.  It was so much fun.

Getting a Haircut

This is the picture before we cut off 6 inches of Wendi's hair.  She was so excited!

Diego's Art

Diego colored the Mona Lisa at school and I was so impressed.  Diego hates coloring, he prefers to scribble but I appreciate the effort he put into coloring Mona.  He must really like her.

Diego's Story.

Awwwww!!! My heart melts every time I see this picture.  Diego drew all four of us on swings at the park and he is still working on the writing but this is what it said, "Yesterday we went to the park and I had lots of fun."  I love that little boy. 

My Love, the Opera!!

This is the Winspear Opera House in Dallas.  Isn't it beautiful?  Guess what I saw here last week?  I saw Lucia de Lammermoor.  It was AMAZING!!!!  I love the opera.  Thank you My Dear for my ticket to the opera.  If you don't know the story, you should read it, it's pretty tragic.  Just like I like them. :)

Oh No!!

My kids ate so much candy during Halloween that they turned into pumpkin heads.

Justin and Wendi

This is Justin.  He has been Wendi's little crush for two years now.  But shhh... don't tell anyone.  Especially not Justin.  Hee! Hee!

Mathoween Pictures

Isn't this adorable?  This is Snow White.  She is in Diego's classroom.  She is too cute.