Outnumbered and Loving it!!

Thomas the Train again, 5 years later

2011-11-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

Having boys that are 5 years apart in age sometimes is hard. There is not a lot they have in common, well except their love for each other. They don't always like the same tv shows, the same toys, have the same friends. Zachary has already done a lot of things that the little boys are just know doing.

5 years ago in July I took Z to see Thomas the train in KY at the Kentucky Railway Museum. It was hot, sticky but oh so much fun!! We had a great day.

Today we took the little boys to Perris CA to see Thomas again! The weather was great but it was oh so crowded!! The boys had a great time and it brought back a lot of memories to see my little boys doing the same thing my almost 10 year old did 5 years ago.

These boys just melt my heart!!

Happy Halloween, may the force be with you!

2011-11-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Halloween! It is seriously one of my most favorite holidays. Cesar and I even postponed our honeymoon so we, well I, wouldn't miss it! Back in KY we would get together have chili, cracker barrel cheese, bologna and fun! My favorite part is handing out the candy to the kids, I love to see all the great costumes that they are wearing! Here is CA we have tried 3 different things. The first year we hosted a Halloween party at our house and that was a lot of fun. Last year we headed over to our church for the trunk or treat, totally chaotic! We won't be doing that again. This year we headed over to our friends house for pizza, desserts and fun! I think the boys loved every minute of it and I did too! I am blessed to have a great friend out here who totally gets me and loves my boys. By totally gets me I mean knows that I don't cook, and I am not crafty but I am great company!

We had a Star Wars theme gong on in the house this year, Noah loves Yoda, so light sabers and guns were on the agenda!

These Storm Troopers are the best of friends and I couldn't be happier!

Noah is using the force in this picture!

I love this lady! I am so thankful God put her in my life out here in CA!

On a side note, I did attempt to make dessert to take over to our Halloween party, one thing turned out great and the other, well not so great. I am sure Sarah is blogging about my brownies here. With friends like these who needs enemies!! :)

I'm back, yes I know you have missed me!

2011-11-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to the past month and a half you ask? Well......

We celebrated a nephew's 11th birthday and did some bike riding with my niece....

We had Isaiah's 1st school field trip to the county fair with his best buddy "other" Noah...

We celebrated a sweet princess' 1st birthday at an awesome indoor playground....

We, of course, went to Disney.....

We, well Z, got an award at the school board meeting for having a PERFECT 600 on his CSTs!!

We went to the pumpkin patch and picked pumpkins with the girls!!

Isaiah had a Halloween party at school and got to dress up....

and we, Cesar and I, celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in San Diego, kid free!!

I guess that explains why I haven't been blogging lately!! Look for the Halloween post to come soon!

Going on the field at the Angel's game!!!!

2011-09-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Let em start this post by saying here in the Sanchez house we bleed Dodger Blue!!! However we were thrilled to be chosen to attend the Angels game as part of the Army.

September 9th the Angel's honored the military and their families before the game. We were able to walk out on the field to a standing ovation, it was awesome to say the least! Zachary won't forget this night for a long time! He was the only one old enough to understand what it was all about. The little kids were too busy waving and clapping they thought the whole thing was for them, it was cute.

Daddy and his boys before the game!

the tunnel to go onto the field, and the other 499 families that were to be honored

On the field!

Angles were out shaking hands with us, so very nice

Go Army!

showing respect for the National Anthem

we got to see a former Dodger!

September 11th

2011-09-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how to put into words what this day means to me now. 10 years ago I was not an Army wife, I was a teacher, pregnant with my first baby and ignorant to how much this day would effect my life. I remember being in circle time with my students and it was my day to be observed, of course. The tv was not on in my classroom but my phone kept ringing and my co teacher came in and said to turn the tv on. We sat and watched and my heart was breaking for all those people. I got through the day and went home and could not turn off the tv. Yes I was sad, yes I cried, yes I prayed but I still didn't have a deep connection to it. I think what I should say is that the way I felt about it then does not compare to how I feel about it now.

My biggest worry at the time was bringing a child into this world now after this. How much his life would be different than mine, how he wouldn't know the same things that I knew. He would have a new normal and that made me sad.

My son was born in March of 2002 and by then things had calmed down a bit. Yes we were at war and security measures were high. We now had a terror alert system and it took a lot longer to board a plane. Zachary's dad and I had grown apart and I was a single mom teaching and living life. I never forgot but it wasn't always on my mind.

Fast forward to July of 2004 and a girls weekend in Nashville, you know that little town only 30 mins from Ft. Campbell, home of a million soldiers. One night I met this soldier while at Tootsies, a ~~bar~~ tourist attraction in downtown. I can not tell you how this night would change my life. I was in NO WAY looking for a relationship, especially not with a silly soldier. God had other plans, let me tell you.

1 year and a couple of months after I met the love of my life he left me to go to Iraq. Wow, what an eye opener that was. September 11th took on a whole new meaning to me. War took on a whole new meaning to me. Prayer took on a whole new meaning to me.

I got into my car right after this and had to watch him walk away from me for a year. Hardest thing I have ever done!

Today, 10 years later, I am a mom to 3 boys who do not know what life was like before 9-11. They were born into a country that was at war and still is. They know no different. My oldest one understands that daddy might have to go back to Iraq and that what he does in important. As long as my husband serves his country his boys will have to deal with him being gone.
10 years later I am an Army wife. I welcomed my husband back from a war that changed him forever. I have a deeper connection to the events that took place on 9-11 now then I did then. I live with the fact that my soldier might have to return to Iraq and he might not return to us. 10 years ago that was not a thought I had. I always stood at the National Anthem at ballgames, now not only do I stand but I am usually teary eyed singing along. The words "home of the brave" now take on a different meaning. Sights like I saw Thursday night before the Packers/Saints game of the people in the stands forming a flag touch my heart. They make me smile and remember what this country is about.

10 years later, I wear the Army wife label proudly as do many others. I am proud, not only of him, but of all who serve and I count them all as family. I now have many close friends who stand in harms way for our freedom. My family grew so much when I married my husband. I have given birth to 3 boys but I have taken care of a few more than that. So today I will stop as I do every day and thank God for allowing me to live in a free country. I will thank God for our military and I will pray that he will protect them. I will pray for all those that lost loved ones on 9-11 and those who continue to lose loved ones in war, but most importantly I will never forget.

It's a God thing weekend.... added new picture from my husband

2011-09-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

Linking up with Minivan Diva this weekend for it's a God thing weekend and you should too!

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."~ John 15:13

This weekend my husband, on the left, and his friend, the one in the middle, are in St. Louis celebrating the life of a fallen soldier and more importantly the life a a friend. SSG Michael Deason was killed August 31st, 2006. It has been 5 years since he gave his life for our freedom and I thank him daily for it. Please take a minute to say a prayer for his family today. They are dedicating a highway in his name in MO today. I know they are proud but hurting at the same time.

What's the God thing in your life?

My husband had the opportunity to visit his friends grave after 5 years. I am sure it was hard for him, but I know he needed to do this. I am so proud to be his wife, he is an amazing man, soldier and friend.

Gone but never forgotten, SSG Deason.

Want to know what we do while Isaiah is playing tball?

2011-08-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

I love these wild and crazy boys!

2011-08-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

There are days when I am begging 7:30pm to come. Bed time for my little monsters and at last all is finally quiet! Most days however I am loving all the wild and crazy things that they do. They each have their own personality and it is neat to watch them interact with each other. (Did I just say neat?!?! I think that dated me!!) They love each other so much and in between the ~~knock~~ ~~down~~ ~~drag~~ ~~outs~~, little sibling spats, it is nice to watch, and even better to hear. When I am in the other room I love listening to the two little ones play. Isaiah loves to call Noah chabubas, why I have NO idea, but he does and it's cute. He also loves to tell Noah that he has to do things because they are brothers. Most of the time Noah could care less that they are brothers, he wants to do his own thing all of the time. With Zachary being gone to school most of the day the two little ones have to play together, but when Zachary gets home they all the sudden have no time for each other and only want their biggest brother to play. They do not share his attention very well at all. This almost always ends up in a fight. Zachary is an amazing big brother he plays so well with them in spite of the 5 year age difference between him and Isaiah and the 7 year difference between him and Noah. It is nice to see.

Enjoy some pictures of my boys at baseball and when daddy came home!!

This man.....

2011-08-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

will be home in just a couple of hours and we sure are happy!!

Yes I know it was just 2 weeks and it wasn't a deployment and this probably wont' be the last time. I have heard it all. Next time it might be worse, next time it might be longer, I knew what I signed up for. It's part of being an army wife. I have heard it all and I get it, but it still sucks when they have to go no matter how long it is or what it is for! For now I am counting my blessing he is home where he belongs, we will deal with next time when it comes!

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet Isaiah!

2011-08-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

What a day! It was busy, loud, fun, hot, wet, and a little sad. We were missing daddy so much today. Isaiah is so blessed to have so many friends and family who love him so much and want to celebrate with him on his special day. Uncle Roman really stepped up filling in for daddy today. He hung the banner, helped with the tablecloths and maned the pinata! Enjoy a few pictures of my middle boy's 4th birthday! Thanks to all who came out to celebrate!

Happy Birthday to my furry son!

2011-08-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Pancho Villa's birthday!! I am a little overwhelmed this week so he did not get his usual homemade birthday cake. He had to settle for scrambled eggs with a candle, I don't think he minded!! We named him after our FAVORITE Mexican restaurant at Ft. Campbell!! Oh how I crave that place!!!

Enjoy the pictures daddy!! We did celebrate your puppy while you are gone. Miss you!!!

For Daddy, Isaiah's 1st tball practice

2011-08-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

My favorite sport to watch hands down is NFL football! I live for MNF and ESPN for those months.

My favorite sport to watch my babies play.......baseball! Something about seeing them hit that ball and run for first makes my heart burst with pride. I think it might have something to do with my family. They are a baseball family for sure! My granddaddy loved the Cincinnati Reds, Shelbyville American Legion and any team his grandchildren or great-grandchildren played for. My gran still does! I know if the Reds are on it's not too late to call, she will still be up cheering them on! My dad and Uncle Mark played enough baseball to last a lifetime, my brother in law played, my cousins played, the list goes on and on. I can not watch a game on tv, or see my babies playing that I do not think of my granddaddy. I know he is up in Heaven with his chair on the fence watching Z play and now Isaiah. It makes me so happy to see my boys carrying on a tradition that meant so much to him. He was smiling tonight for sure.

Daddy couldn't be here for this first practice, his Army job needs him more than us right now. That's ok, we will survive, although we miss him like crazy. When I talked to him this afternoon he asked me if I was going to take pictures?! Really, who did he think he was talking too?! I am the queen of pictures, I would NEVER let something like this happen with out documenting every stage of the game! So yes, I took 72 pictures of a 1 hour practice. Don't worry, I will not make you look at every single one! Just the highlights, enjoy.

Isaiah's Army party at school!

2011-08-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today we had Isaiah's 4th Birthday party at school. It was his first school birthday party! He chose an Army theme for the party. We took a pinata that was a tank and treat bags for everyone. He had a really good time. I am so glad that he is in a preschool that lets me bring in things and be such a big part of his school day!! Enjoy the pictures Daddy!! We are sad that you could not be there to see this!!! We love you!

**Disclaimer** Yes I know that was a pull string pinata!! A bat and 22 three year olds just didn't seem like a good idea!!

This morning

2011-08-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

I dropped this boy off at the airport for a ~~stupid~~ Army school for 2 weeks.

He will miss this boy's 4th birthday

and I am mad.

Feel's like Alexander today.......

2011-08-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

You know, like in this book

I am in a rut and am not sure how to get out of it. Let me start by saying that I love being an Army wife 95% of the time. I am super proud of my hubby and the fact that he serves his country everyday and loves what he does. However sometimes the army life can get to you. The uncertainty of what is coming next can really wear on a person. I am trying to be positive and upbeat as to not add any more stress to my husband but I think I am at the end of my rope. I was just telling my mom this morning that there is nothing I can do about it so I am not going to worry about it. That's the truth. The army sends you where they want you to go when they want you to go. They do not care about children's birthdays, school schedules or life.

They want to send my husband to a school in South Carolina the week before Isaiah's 4th birthday. I know I have been blessed that in the last almost 5 years we have not had to deal with anything like this. He has not missed any important events. I guess I got a little spoiled! It stinks. That's about all I can say about it.

We are also 6 months out and need to decide what we want to do next before the army decides for us! It just all adds up. Not to mention recruiting is not the easiest assignment! I guess it's just all weighing on me right now, but I know it will get better!

Thanks for letting me vent!

The Royal Wedding had nothing on this!

2011-07-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I packed my bags kissed my boys goodbye and got in the car with my hubby for a quick breakfast before I left for KY..........ALONE! I was traveling back to my home state for the wedding of the century. I couldn't wait for a couple of days catching up with old friends, just talking, eating, drinking(more on that later), just being.

I have known this little girl since she was a year old! I used to walk her around the block so her mom could get some things done around the house. That's how it started, just a babysitter for an hour or so so a single parent could breathe. It turned into so much more. I gained an older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister. Not to mention a WONDERFUL other mom and a couple of years later, Ron, the saint! Funny how God puts people in your life at just the right time and He knows just what you need. I love this family.

The festivities started on Thursday with the Bridesmaids Luncheon at a nice little place in Lexington KY. I got slightly lost but after a phone call to the bride I made it fine! It was so nice to see Miss Heather again. Not to mention Auntie and Sandi and Jess! It was like a reunion from way back! It just felt right, like home again. Heather was beautiful as always and it was like no time had passed at all. We enjoyed a nice lunch and got a nice gift from Sandi to remind us of Heather.

Then the rehearsal dinner on Friday. Could it have been any hotter?! The humidity was horrible and we were all sweating so bad. The boys looked horrible, wiping themselves with a towel and sweating through their shirts! The bride to be however was stunning as usual! She has such a sense of style. Then out to dinner at the place where the bride to be and her groom to be had their first date and where he proposed! How romantic!

What a great night with old friends! It was nice to be able to spend some time with my sister without the kids too. We had a nice ride to the rehearsal and then a nice time at dinner. I can't remember the last time we had dinner together without kids!

Saturday was the big day! We asked out Aunt Mary to take us down to Lexington at 8am! We had a lot of places to be and didn't want to have to worry about our car. Our wonderful friends Pam and Steve picked us up. The ride home was very entertaining to say the least! The wedding was beautiful and just perfect! The reception was a blast and I am sad to be leaving friends and can't wait to see them again!

Congratulations Mr.and Mrs. VanDyke! I love you to the moon and back!

Noah's 1st trip to the beach!

2011-07-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

So last Saturday we packed up the car and headed to the beach for the day! I am NOT a fan of the beach, I don't swim in the ocean, the sand makes me itch and carrying all that stuff plus one baby across all the sand is not my idea of a good time! That being said I know I live in SoCal so the beach is a must out here. I do love seeing how much fun the boys have in the ocean and watching them build sandcastles. We really did have a great time. Zachary was a born fish. He loves the water no matter how cold it is and would stay in the ocean all day if we would let him. The little boys weren't so sure at first but quickly warmed up to it and loved every minute! We are planning a trip back with family and a bonfire soon!

My boys LOVE the water!

2011-07-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

My inlaws have a pool and we are so blessed! My boys would live in the water if I would let them! Thanks to my sister we discovered these puddle jumpers and the little boys are all over the pool in them! We love them! They have also been taking swimming lessons at the park and Zachary has been in splash camp for 4 weeks!

4th of July with the girls!

2011-07-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to be a part of these sweet girls lives! My inlaws fostered then last year and now they have been adopted by a wonderul lady who allows us to still see them and spend time with them! They came over to Grandmas house for the 4trh and we swam, ate and then roasted marshmellows! It was so fun to see them again!

A day at Disney for my birthday! and a couple of days just because!

2011-07-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Can I tell you how much I LOVE living 45 minutes from Disney?!?! I really could live there I love it so much! We go just about any chance we get, at least once a week. So where else would I want to spend my 34th birthday? When I woke up that morning the boys had a cake already for me!

After a little singing and blowing out the candles we headed to the Happiest Place on Earth for the day!

Then we headed to Grandmas for a birthday dinner from Applebees and another cake!! My favorite kind of cake from Baskin Robbins!!

yep, there is one more boy than normal in this picture! Tell you about him later!

The only thing that stinks about my birthday is that my biggest boy usually misses it! He is normally in KY visiting family but we celebrate when he returns for sure!

On another night daddy got off work early so we decided to head to Disney once again for a night of fun with family!

Anyone noticing a theme with Noah? He loves that Pluto hat!! He wears it everywhere, not just to Disney!

So on the night we spent at Disney with family I left my cell phone there where we ate dinner. Well I wasn't going to just drive over and pick up my phone, so I decided to make a day of it with my boys!

Man how I love that place!!

Note: I had this post set to publish one day later because guess what......WE WENT TO DISNEY!!!!

Isaiah plays basketball!!

2011-07-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Isaiah played his 1st team sport this summer at the park! He was so excited to start playing on a team like Zachary. He had practice twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays and the first day he was ready to go!

He picked out his basketball outfit to wear and everything!

His first practice was fun to watch! Noah thought he should be playing too so he joined in with the warm ups. Zachary helped out with the practice because we had no coach and only 5 players!

Soon after the 1st practice we had team picture day! I love pictures and was so excited to get his first sports photo!!

Then we had the 1st game! As wild as Isaiah is at home and as aggressive he is with his brothers it was totally different on the court! He was a little timid and wasn't quite sure what to do. He is also scared of the loud buzzer at the end of the game! He spends quite a bit of time looking like this!

I am so excited to see all the things that he is going to do as he gets older. He is so proud to be playing sports now and can not wait for baseball!!

I love being a mom to boys!! The sports are awesome for this sports loving mommy!!

Taste of KY tour, front yard baseball with Grandpa, and time with cousins

2011-06-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

We returned from our trip to visit family back in KY on Saturday and we are just now recovering. The boys had such a great time playing with their cousins, hitting baseballs with Grandpa and hanging out with Nana. I did too. I loves those babies I leave in KY so much my heart hurts at times when I think about it. I also had a blast just getting to see my sister everyday for a whole week! My sister truly is my best friend and she is by far what I miss the most out here. I am already counting the days until I return!

2011-06-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Joining the "knee team" at a Place called Simplicity! Want to join me too?

Overwhelmed, excitied, nervous,

2011-06-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

just a few words to describe how I am feeling this week. I love going back to KY to visit family but there is SO much to do before I leave that it gets a little stressful! I want to blog about Isaiah and basketball, swim lessons, and summer fun but there is no time! Maybe later tonight when the babies are asleep. Prayers welcome for peace!!

On a positive note, can not wait to spend the day hanging out with a good friend tomorrow and relaxing a little!

I am such a proud Mom!

2011-06-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

This boy is so smart! He read over a million words this school year and is still reading this summer. I can't keep the books on his kindle. He is amazing! He got the homework award, the citizenship award and the academic award for his class. He is in the GATE program for gifted and talented program at his school.

He is also the worlds best big brother. He is always helping me with his little brothers and usually with no complaints. He has such a caring heart, that is what I am most proud of. He is a blessing to me for sure.

He is helping so much around the house now. He is learning to mow the lawn, he takes out the trash, he makes his bed, cleans his room and bathroom and can change his sheets. He also will get me anything I need and always asks me if I need help with anything.

Not to mention he is a heck of a baseball player! I think that comes from the Stratton in him! He loves the sport and is getting better every year!

"You've got your hands full"

2011-06-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

I hate that phrase with a passion. I usually get it when I am out shopping with all the boys, most often the two little ones in the HUGE double stroller, one probably crying.

I never know what to say to the person who says that to me, usually with a look of pity. I smile, they hurry away and usually out of the store, and I continue on with my day. But for hours after that encounter I am steaming inside.

Yes I have my hands full, but I also have my heart full and I wouldn't have it any other way. Fact is I am not done yet. I want to be a mommy to a lot, well a couple of more babies and I WANT my hands and my heart to be even fuller!

This picture cracks me up! Noah had a poopy diaper and Z is holding his breath and Isaiah is gagging! This is so typical of these boys!!

So please, if you see me out shopping with all of my blessings in tow, don't pity me. I am blessed and I wouldn't have it any other way. Yes it is loud and sometimes crazy here in the Sanchez house, but I wouldn't know what to do with quite and clean. I love my life and these wild and crazy boys and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I am a winner!!!!

2011-05-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks Kelly so much for this great giveaway!!! Super excitied to pick out a great necklace!!

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the hero's in my life, those who served recently..........

My Hero SFC Sanchez!

Uncle Phil

Brent and Josh

Uncle Clint

My little "brother" Zach! couldn't be a prouder "sister"

My lifelong friend! I am so honored to know you!

And those who served long ago.......

my granddaddy

my pawpaw

My children couldn't have better role models to look up to! Thanks to all the military men and women past and present. A special thanks to the 101st guys who are now family to me!

Check out this great giveaway on my friends blog!

2011-05-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Head over to my friend Kelly's blog and enter her giveaway for one of these great necklaces! It has low entries right now so the chances of winning are great!

Be sure to tell her I sent you over.

What an awesome weekend I had!!

2011-05-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

I know this post is a little late but it's busy here at the Sanchez house!

This was THE weekend! The one I have been looking forward too since my wonderful husband got me the tickets to see the Zac Brown Band! It totally lived up to all my expectations and more! How nice was it for Cesar and I to get back to being a couple and not just mommy and daddy. We got to reconnect again and refresh. It was much needed and very relaxing. I am blessed to have wonderful in laws that will keep the kids for us and allow us this much needed couple time!

We started Saturday off with the LA NF walk! Thanks to all who helped me raise my goal of $500! It was a nice turnout for Team Joe Joe! The Laker girls and the New York Jets kicker Nick Folk were there, signing autographs and taking pictures!

I am so proud of these boys!! They walked a long way and were quite the troopers! They are the best of friends!

It was the highlight of Z's day to meet the Laker Girls!

I love this boy!

This was a great moment for me!! Nick Folk was at the walk and was signing autographs and taking pictures!! I am a huge JETS fan and was super excited! He has a family member with NF and does a lot to raise money for the LA chapter of the CTF!

After the walk the kids went home with Grandma and Papa, who drove all the way to LA just to get the boys! I am so blessed to have them!

The view from our room

Universal City, we walked over for dinner.

For Dina! She loves Lucy!

Then it was off to the Hollywood Bowl and the Zac Brown Band! I didn't take a lot of pictures, I was too busy people watching and singing at the top of my lungs! I love me some country music!

The next day we did some sightseeing in Hollywood and Rodeo Drive. I wasn't on it in the camera department, shocking I know. I was too busy enjoying the day with my husband to take a lot of pictures! Here are a few I did take. We also got to meet up with my brother in law for a drink and a snack since he works in Beverly Hills and was off while we were there. It was perfect timing!

I finally made it to Rodeo Drive!

The view from above the Hollywood Bowl!

It was a wonderful weekend, just what we needed to reconnect! Already planning the next one in October, a week long cruise and then a weekend to see Jason Aldean! I can't wait!

Check out these cute bathing suits for moms!

2011-05-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

I have been on the search for a cute bathing suit for the summer that was modern, but not too modern! After three kids I need a ~~little~~ a lot more coverage! However I still want to look nice! I was looking on FB and saw a giveaway for these bathing suits. IF I don't win, I am sure I am going to order anyway but I am going to see if I can win one first!

Click here to shop for yourself!

I am not sure I have the words to express this but I am going to try!

2011-05-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here at my computer today with tears in my eyes, but rest assured friends they are happy tears for sure! As the sign above says GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!! I just received a phone call from my dear friend Sarah, you know her as Joe's mom, and it was incredible news! Joe had an appointment with a surgeon today to discuss when they would need to do the surgery to remove the tumor that had doubled in size near his spine. The surgeon did another MRI, with contrast this time, and this one showed NO GROWTH!! Yes friends you read that right, NO GROWTH!!! The first MRI was WRONG!! I have had a few minutes to praise God and thank HIM for answering our prayers and I have come to the conclusion that the first MRI wasn't wrong but we prayed these tumors smaller! You, me, all my church friends back in KY, all my blog friends, all my FB friends, my family and Joe's family, we all prayed those tumors smaller and it worked!!

Yes, prayers were answered for sure! I know Joe was nervous today about this appointment and I prayed for calmness for him and extra patience for Sarah to get through the day. It worked, and I am beside myself with happiness for them!

Thanks to my awesome GOD there will be plenty more days at Disney with Z and Joe to hang out and have fun.

There will be more days for hot dogs and cotton candy together

There will be more school fundraisers together and bowling birthday parties to attend

So thank you from me, and Z. He will not have to pray his heart out at night asking God to please not let his best friend have surgery. We will continue to pray, Joe is not cured, nor are the hundreds of other kids that have NF. I am asking you to please pray for a cure and also pray that at Joe's next check up in 6 months there continues to be no more growth. The walk for NF in LA will be next Saturday and I am still asking for donations to help find a cure so please check out my page and donate, even if it's only $5.

Team Joe-Joe

My heart breaks for these brothers

2011-05-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading here and the tears were streaming down my face. I can not imagine how these two sweet babies will survive without a mom but they will have to. I know I have always said that I would love a little girl, that I would probably die if I were to have anymore boys in this house. Maybe, just maybe, God is telling me that more boys would be fine, that I could handle it fine. I have a heavy heart after reading this story today and many more like it on her blog. I am praying that God will reveal to me exactly what to do about this situation. I feel like HE is calling me to do something, I am just not sure what yet.

So would you please pray with me? Pray that God reveals HIS awesome plan to me and pray for these two innocent boys and the millions like him that are living alone on the streets tonight.

Baseball

2011-05-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy baseball season here in the Sanchez house. Zachary has practice or a game every night during the week. It makes for busy nights in our house. I don't attend a lot of games, they mostly are at 7:30 and my other two are in bed. I do go to the 5:30 ones and occasionally my wonderful mother in law comes to keep the little ones so I can go to the other ones. I am so blessed that Cesar is such a huge part of Z's life. He hasn't missed a game yet. He is always out there coaching 3rd base cheering on the Braves. Most days this means that he has to leave the house at 5 am in order to get all the things done at the office that enable him to be at Z's games. It is a HUGE sacrifice, and one he makes with no complaints. We grew up with baseball. Mostly American Legion or the Reds. I have the best memories of heading to the park with Granddaddy and watching a game, well watching the boys that were playing the game. I am so glad that Zachary is carrying on the baseball tradition and soon Isaiah will be too. I know that it makes my Granddaddy swell up with pride in Heaven watching his great grandchildren playing is favorite sport!

Because of chasing the two little ~~monsters,~~ angels, above I don't have a lot of pictures. I will be making up for that at the next game. I am going alone!

Conflicted thoughts

2011-05-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

I am always proud to be an army wife. I am proud of my husband and the job he does. I have never felt emotions like I felt that early morning in September 2006 when the 101st 3rd Brigade Combat team entered that hanger, not even at the birth of my children. My children know there daddy is an American soldier. Zachary understands it more than the little ones, but they all know what that uniform means. Yesterday after I received the call from my father in law that they had killed bin Laden I think I was numb for awhile. I went upstairs and told my husband, we turned on CNN, and I saw that look in his eyes and it shook me to my core. I know that now my husband's job is a recruiter. That means long hours and stressful days but it also means that he will be in my bed at night. It is a trade off I will gladly accept on most days. I also know that his first job is in combat arms, and I also know that it is a job he loves. We are less than one year away from completing this recruiting mission and now comes the time to decide what we would like to do next in the army. That could mean extending, moving to another unit, going back active duty, or many other things. I was, up until last night, ok with going back active duty. I have now changed my mind. I will take the long hours and stressful days now for sure. I also know that Cesar needs to do what he loves and that might mean another deployment, a move or a combination of both. I will follow my soldier anywhere.

I have been thinking long and hard about what to tell my kids about this day. The little ones are too young to understand and Zachary is too young to know what happened September 11, 2001. I feel that it is important to record this event for them. They have a daddy who fought in this war and numerous "uncles" who have too. I want them to know that it was for a good cause. I want them to also know that revenge is not what we are taught in the Bible but that is what happened on this day. I want them to know that Osama bin Laden was a terrible man who hurt thousands of people and that he got his just reward when he was shot in the head. It is a thin line I am walking here. There are two verses in the Bible that have come to mind in light of this historic day. They are both very different and I am not enough of a Bible scholar to know which one is appropriate. Proverbs 11:10 says "When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth; and then the wicked perish [there is] shouting". Proverbs 24:17 says "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls. Do not let your heart be glad". I want my children to be proud of this moment. I want them to be proud their daddy had a hand in this while he was there. I do not want them thinking that killing people is right, or that revenge is the way to go. What do I say? I am still thinking about that. I am conflicted about it myself. The celebrations in the streets sickens me in a way. A huge part of me thinks that celebrating the death of a man is wrong. Another part of me is relieved that he is dead and my children will not grow up in a world terrorized my bin Laden anymore. This has been rough for me.
I will do some more thinking of what to tell the kids and how to make sure that, when they are old enough, they will understand what an important day this was in American history. Any thoughts?

Who has the best husband..........

2011-04-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

I do!!

I have been wanting, make that DYING, to go to a country concert for months now. What I would really love is to see Chris Cagle in a small dive bar, but I will take what I can get at this point. I LOVE country music, I love to sing at the top of my lungs to it in the car when I am by myself. Who am I kidding, I love to sing at the top of my lungs no matter who is in the car, just ask Cesar! So my wonderful husband surprised me last night with tickets to see the Zac Brown Band at the Hollywood Bowl in LA!!

I am super excited to spend a night out in LA with my husband and at a country concert to boot! I guess it's time to dust off the boots and hat and get ready to a night of honky tonking fun!! I am kidding, I will try to refrain from wearing the hat, but the boots........the are a must!!

To top off the night my wonderful husband arranged with his mom, the wolds BEST mother in law, to watch the kids all night and booked us a room! A whole nights sleep is almost better than the concert! I can not wait!

Then he promises a Sunday of sight seeing in Hollywood and window shopping on Rodeo Drive! Things can get rough between us, as I am sure happens with most couples. Jobs, life, kids, and everyday stress can make you do and say things that you don't mean. You can take each other for granted and hurt feelings with one look or comment. This night out means a lot for us. It is a chance for us to focus on us for a change and recharge ourselves and our marriage so that we can focus on what really matters, building a family that is pleasing to God.

I will take lots of pictures, you can count on it!! May 14th can not get here soon enough! Oh! Don't forget my blogging friends before the date night I will be walking for a cause that is new to me but has become more important that I could have ever imaged. The LA NF Walk will be at 8am that morning and there is still time to donate to this VERY important cause! Remember this little boy needs your donations!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

We had a rainy Easter Weekend here in SoCal but we enjoyed it nonetheless. My parents were visiting and we all headed to church and then to Grandmas for some great home cooking!! It was so nice to have my parents here for the holiday. They got to see Z beat the UNDEFEATED White Sox, hang out with the boys and just have fun. I love when they are able to visit. I am already counting the days until June when I am in KY myself for a visit!

New memories at an old place!

2011-04-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

So two weeks ago we loaded up the car and headed over to Mission Viejo to Farrels Ice Cream Parlour. Yes its a long way just for dinner but it was SO worth it for us! I remember going to the one that used to be at the Mall St. Matthews in Louisville when I was little with my parents and sister, although she doesn't! They have the Styrofoam hats and the best ice cream ever! They sing and dance when it's your birthday and its is just a great place. It was so nice to make these new memories at a great place with my boys!

They were so excited to ride int his, a lady gave it to us in the parking lot!

I can't wait to go back for my birthday!! I want them to sing to me and bring me the biggest ice cream on the menu!

WILW

2011-04-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

Linking up with Kelly again for What I Love Wednesdays!! You should too!

So, what I am loving today.....

Isaiah sang this song to me tonight that he learned at school! I was so proud of him. It was so special to hear him sing his first song that he had learned! Not to mention that my Gran used to sing this to us when we were little, it melted my heart tonight, just another of God's many blessings to me!

My best friend in the whole wide world, forever and ever! That's her in the blue tank top welcoming her sister back from her 1st tour in Iraq. I have a TON of pictures of the two of us but since the computer crashed I have not uploaded the old ones yet! I can not even begin to tell you all we have been through in the last 20+ years. There is no one else I would rather have by my side through thick and thin then her!! God brought us back together at just the right time in our lives! love you!!

While I am not quite there yet, I have built a nice stockpile in the last 3 weeks! I am super excited to get a deal and have now roped my mother in law and my neighbor into stockpiling with me! I will take some pictures of my stockpile and the wonderful new shelves my hubby put up for me and let you see how I am doing!

I am also loving that these two girls got to celebrate Noah's 2nd birthday with us!!

Last but not least I am loving these boys!! I am so thankful God chose me to be their mommy!!

Isaiah's first Preschool Party!!

2011-04-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

I am so blessed to be a stay at home mom that allows me to attend parties and things at the kids school. There are times, many times, I wish I was a working mom, but today was not one of them. I have been having some pretty bad mommy monents lately and I think today was God's way of telling me to slow down and enjoy them now while they are little! Enjoy my pictures of the event!! It was so much fun!

This ecard made with Smilebox

Noah's 2nd birthday slideshow!

2011-04-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

Customize your own photo slideshow

My last baby turns 2~bittersweet for me!

2011-04-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday friends and family helped us celebrate Noah's 2nd birthday! The weather was hot and the ice cream was sticky, but a fun time was had by all, especially Noah! Enjoy the pictures of the Dump Tuck themed "build" your own sundae party!

Just amazing to me

2011-04-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

how God puts that one person in your life, with the right words at EXACTLY the right time! It never ceases to amaze me how He knows just what I need and when I need it. I received an email today from a person, who shall remain nameless, and it read;

When I think about my marriage it often feels hopeless. Like things will never change. He'll never appreciate what I do and I'll never be good enough to make him happy. He'll never be satisfied. Then I get these "little love notes from God" to remind me that I'm forgetting Who I'm dealing with here. Let's keep our faith and never give up. Because our husbands are wrong about us. We AREN'T quitters and we don't give up on everything. Not the things that matter. God will get us through this because we are worthy of true happiness and we are doing the right thing.

I know I don't have to tell you that marriage is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and even then it might not be enough to get you through. My marriage, like many I am sure, has seen it's fair share of struggles and feelings of hopelessness. As recent as yesterday quite frankly. We are two totally different people. I am sweet and docile and he is very hard headed and abrasive. Okay who am I kidding, I am a strong willed, stubborn women who has a tongue on her like a serpent at times. I need God to keep His arm around my shoulder and His hand over my mouth most days.

As I opened this email with an attachment to a devotional from Joel Osteen, whom I love by the way, it spoke to my heart in a way I don't think I can describe here. It was EXACTLY what I needed to hear and EXACTLY the right time. Why did I get that? Because God knows my heart, and because I have am amazing friend who can read my mind! As I get back on track here in the Sanchez house I will be on my knees a lot more praying that He shows me the way to be who He wants me to be in this marriage. We all know that is the only way this will work!

WILW

2011-04-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

Linking up with Kelly again for WILW!

1. I am loving this site! I got most of Noah's birthday stuff there and it is super cute! Can't wait for his party on the 16th to celebrate his 2nd birthday!

2. Found this great skirt/top on here and love it!

3. Love this book! It has helped me save over $500 and build a pretty good stockpile of non perishable items. This will come in handy if the Government can't balance the budget and my husband no longer receives a paycheck!

4. I love these boys, they are my everything!

I think I might have a problem......

2011-03-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

I am addicted to blogs. Mostly blogs about Christian women trying to raise a family and follow God. Most of these women have adopted, maybe this is a sign? Don't tell my husband I just "typed" that out loud! I am always trying to grow in my walk with the Lord and raise God loving boys. I like that these women are real, that they struggle too, but they always rely on the Lord. I am learning new things and strengthening my faith my reading.

Today I was reading here about this "I am beautiful" campaign and I LOVE the concept. I am not a mom of girls as you know but I think the concept of positive self image is important in both girls and boys. I got to ~~snooping~~ reading over here about what she is doing to try and start this campaign around the world. I am excited, I think I will take some pictures tomorrow to post on her photo site. I have a hard time thinking that I am beautiful, especially after 3 kids. But you know what, I am wonderfully made and God don't make ugly!! So anyone care to join me?

WILW

2011-03-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

I think I will make this the Family edition of WILW!!

1. First I am loving these boys! I am so thankful God chose me to be their mommy!

2. I am loving my sister. She just had a birthday and I am sad I was not there to celebrate with her. She keeps me sane out here in CA and is the best phone person on the planet. We seriously talk all day on the phone, it keeps me connected to those beautiful babies on the east coast!

3. I am loving that a friend got this little boy into a great preschool and that he loves it!!

4. I am loving that all of my friends and family are going to donate to this cause for Zachary's best friend!

5. Last I am loving that my dad got this boy LAKER tickets and he does not know! He is going to be so excited when his daddy pulls up to the Staples Center next week!

He even has Lakers shoes!

What are you loving today?!

I still need your help!

2011-03-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I posted about Zachary's best friend. You can read my post here. I am still in need of donations please! If you feel the call to donate the donation button at the bottom of the page does not work, please us the one on the right of the page. My goal is $500 but I would love to blow that out of the water!

I am sure anyone of you reading this has a best friend. One you can call on no matter what you need and you know that person will be there for you. Joesph is that person for my Zachary and I am begging you to please help us find a cure and fight this disease for Joesph. I want Zachary to have Joesph as a best friend forever, for always and no matter what. Please feel free to pass this story along to all your friends. Send them to my page and ask them please to make a donation!!

Isaiah's first day of preschool!

2011-03-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that this little baby......

has turned into this big boy.....

and started preschool today!!

He has a great day and didn't shed the first tear. His daddy took the day off to be able to take him and pick him up on his first day!

He walked right in and started playing with the toys and never looked back.

After we picked him up we took him to lunch at.......Taco Bell! Yuck, but his choice!

He can't wait for Wednesday!

A house divided! Thanks to Grandpa!

2011-03-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

So most of you know I am a HUGE University of Louisville Cardinal fan! I can not stand the KY Wildcats and thought I was doing a great job of making my sure my children understood the correct team to cheer for. Well Isaiah thinks my dad, Grandpa, hung the moon. He is a KY fan. So now Isaiah asks to wear "grandpa's shirt" almost every day. Makes me crazy! Noah on the other hand asks to wear "cardinals" everyday! I am at least winning on one of them! So the other day they happened to be dressed like this. I didn't have to ask twice to get them to pose for the last picture!

Zachary has turned more into a Lakers, Dodgers fan since we moved but he will say he likes both the Cardinals and the Wildcats so he doesn't hurt anyones feelings!

This is what we do for fun......

2011-03-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

So I am sure you are dying to know what we do for fun on a Sunday afternoon, after church with a house full of wild and crazy boys. Well wonder no more, here are the pictures!

Z just happened to take this picture at just the right time when Isaiah was flipping on me! I love being a mom to boys!

Apparently daddy behind was not smelling too nice, so Isaiah is spraying him with Febreeze!

I am not sure if you can see Z's face, he couldn't stop laughing long enough for Daddy to lift him up!

Mommy's helper

2011-03-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love this chunky monkey!! He loves to help mommy around the house, hard to beleive he is turning 2 soon.

My wonderful, amazing, loving, world's best husband

2011-03-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

As my husband ~~nosed~~, read my blog today he said, "you don't even mention me in here". He's right. I am so caught up with the kids that I forget to mention the love of my life. So here is a post about him. I know when I leave this up and he reads it later he will be happy and that's all that matters!

So with out further ado.......let me tell you what an amazing, awesome, sexy, loving, Jesus following, man I married!! I am so blessed! I love you dear!

Yet another sign from above

2011-03-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

I was reading some blogs this morning and over at Happy Mom=Happy Family I read this post from her:

We should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best. We have to forgo some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.

This is just another affirmation that giving up some things and focusing on my family is what the Lord wants me to do now. There are times that I think maybe I could still be involved in .......insert any number of things......but this just reassures me that I am doing the right thing.

Please help me fight this!

2011-03-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

This is Joesph, Zachary's best friend!

While they couldn't look more different than each other they are more alike than I can tell you. They love doing things together. From selling candy for school at the Race for the Cure,

to hanging out at Disneyland for Z's birthday,

they truly are the best of friends. What you can not tell by looking at the pictures is that Joe has NF. Here is what his mom has to say about Joe:

Joseph is an awesome 9 year old little man, with a caring heart and playful personality. He was first diagnosed unofficially with NF-1 by 6 months old because of the amount of cafe au laits he had, but was medically diagnosed by a geneticist at 3 after discovering a neurofibroma on his shoulder and finding several tumors via MRI internally. He is so brave and although none of us know what his future will hold, he is so optimistic and knows that with God all things are possible...Please join us in our walk and to raise money to find a cure!

We are walking to raise money to find a cure for NF on May 14th here in Los Angeles. I am begging you to please donate to this cause and support my fundraising for this. I know that most of you reading this do not even know Joe but you do know Zachary and he would be so thankful to you for donating to help save his best friends life. He just went back for a MRI and they found more tumors on his spine and now we, and I say we because I love this little boy and his momma so much, are waiting to see what the surgeon says on what to do next. Please, please donate so that one day there will be a cure for NF and Joe can live a normal life and grow up and have babies and hang out with Z for MANY years to come.

Here is the link to my fundraising page, we are all walking; Cesar, me, Zachary, Isaiah and Noah to raise money for this new cause that has become so important to us in such a short time. I will continue to hound you for money for the next two months so please donate!!

http://ctf.kintera.org/nfwalkla2011p/melissasanchez

March in Pictures!

2011-03-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Great giveaways!!

2011-03-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Go check out my friend Kelly's blog at Me and you Girl and enter all her wonderful giveaways she is having in honor of her birthday!! Be sure to tell her I sent you!

Time for a change

2011-03-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

I'm back....... Yes I know it's been almost a month and I am a bad blogger. I do love it but it seems like everything else is getting in the way. Funny, that seems to be my excuse for everything lately, the messy house, the piled up laundry, the lack of home cooked meals. These things really don't bother me. I can live with toys all over and dishes in the sink. I have enough clothes that I feel the laundry can wait. I am just as picky of an eater as my kids so nuggets and fries always sound good to me! However my husband is a totally different story as you will read below!

I could go on and on. I feel overwhelmed and I ~~am not sure what to do about it~~. I guess I should change that, I WAS not sure what to do about it, after this mornings message at church I am now ABSOLUTELY sure what to do.

I attend MOPS, or Mothers of Preschoolers, at a great church on Friday mornings. I love the fellowship with other Moms, and my kids love playing with new friends and learning about Jesus.

We had a guest speaker on Friday and she gave her testimony. I loved it. She sang some songs, a couple country!, and told us how she got closer to Christ. I have been thinking about what she said, about how just being obedient to God did not mean your were automatically going to be blessed. You had to sacrifice some things and leave your worldly life to follow him. Now I listened, at least I thought I did. It impacted me a little but I think I was ignoring God. He must have really wanted to drive home the thought to me so He had Pastor talk about it this morning again. He knows me well enough to know I don't always get it the first time!

I am sitting in the cafe at church; we usually enjoy church there, it's easier on my husband who seems to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, and Pastor Diego starts talking about sacrifice. I thought to myself I have heard this message before, I told you it usually takes me a minute. I am really listening and following a long in my Bible and I promise it was like God was speaking to me. I felt like He was telling me it was time to make some personal sacrifices in my life in order to get closer to Him and then in turn become closer to my husband and make this family stronger. That is what I live for. I want to raise these wonderful boys in a God centered house where they see a God centered marriage where we sacrifice for the Lord. I am glued to Pastor's words this morning and he starts talking about sacrifices you have to make in order to be closer to God and I am taking notes as fast as I can write, he is talking about how you have to make sacrifices in every aspect in your life with things that are important to you. In my head I am saying yes I know, stop eating out so you have more money to spend on the boys birthdays and your trip for the anniversary; stay up late at night so you can finish school so you can contribute to the family with a decent income so your kids have more when they get older; you go without so your kids can have what they want. I am thinking, wrong move, I know all this.

Then he starts to talk about the sacrifices you have to make in your marriage if you want to make it work. Ok, he really has my attention now. Marriage is not easy let me tell you! I should start out by saying, as no surprise to my friends, I am VERY strong willed, read hard headed. Cesar and I seem to butt heads a lot on a lot of different things, most of them aren't even that important. So Pastor starts by telling how he wants his wife to check in with him during the day, he wants to make sure she is safe and she doesn't like that but she does it because it's a sacrifice she makes for him. He goes on to talk about 5 or 6 more things they sacrifice for each other. I know you might be thinking that this is a no brainer. It should be but for me I was more worried about losing my independence then submitting to my husband. My marriage was more based on worldly values than God's values. Then it hits me like a ton of bricks............I want to make my husband happy and so that means giving up or sacrificing for him. So I go home and make a list of things that I know makes my husband happy that really don't matter to me. Things we have argued about over and over. See above list, that pretty much sums it up! So I then pray to God to help me find a way to make these things happen and I ask Him what I need to give up to make it work. I am taking a break from everything that does not directly benefit my family, face book; I didn't realize how much time it takes away until today, I might be addicted; PTA, a huge issue in my marriage. It really does take up A LOT of my time and it is not worth it. My husband needs to feel that he comes first and so I will sacrifice to make sure that happens.

I know that this will not be an overnight change, heck it's going to take a week just to get my house under control! I am asking that if you read this that you pray for me and my family as we struggle through this. Pray that I have the will to submit and give up this life in order to live the life I was meant to live. Pray that I get a little better at being a homemaker, well a lot better. Pray that I will continue to sacrifice in order to make this work! Pray for strength for me please!!

I will be bloggin a little more now that FB is on the way back burner so I will keep the 2 people that read this blog informed on my journey! Now I am off to bed to rest up. Tomorrow starts day one of operation: sacarifice for the Lord!

This momma is worn out!!!

2011-02-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

So the video of Isaiah dancing and the baseball post is coming soon, I promise! School, PTA, baseball practice, and sick babies are taking up all of my time for now!

I love being a part of the PTA at my son's school. It gives me a purpose and makes me feel part of the adult world even though I am a SAHM. That being said it takes a lot of my time, especially when you are the fundraising person and it is fundraising time! I have been blessed to meet a lot of great women here and I am thankful for each and every one of them!

I am currently taking classes to get my teaching degree in CA. I HATE SCHOOL!! I does not come easy to me and I am struggling right now with it badly! So, if you find it in your heart, please pray for me and this struggle in my life. I LOVE TEACHING! So I will struggle on!

Baseball practice is EVERYDAY! I am worn out. I am so thankful to my father in law who takes Z to practice when Cesar can't. It allows me to stay at home with the babies and get things accomplished on the home front.

Sick babies are no fun! Noah has not been feeling well since Wednesday and now Isaiah is getting it too. To add to it all we lost "blankie" today.

The green blanket, it belongs to Isaiah, it's the only picture I could find!

Isaiah sleeps with it and he was miserable all day without it! It was finally recovered from Grandma's house and now all is well!

Now I am off to enjoy a bath and a glass of wine, maybe even a good book! The hubby is gone out of town for work and I am going to enjoy some me time! I will post again tomorrow, I have been taking pictures galore I just need to update them!

WILW

2011-02-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

So here is what I am loving today.....

1. My in laws, I am truly blessed to have them, they help me soooooooo much with the boys and the never ask for anything in return! I love them so much!

2. This dessert that we had on my birthday last year and my friend made Friday in her kitchen! Who knew Nutella tasted so good!

3. These rain boots, hint, hint for my husband

4. This catalog, just hosted a party and can't wait to get my stuff. Love that this company is Christian based and for women to realize their worth in the Lord!

5. My CA friends, they have truly been a blessing to this KY girl so far from home!! I am missing one, but I dont' have a single picture of the two of us together!! Terry, I love you too!

Cupid's Ball at Zachary's school

2011-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

Friday night the SLE PTA hosted Cupid's Ball for the families. It was super fun and free for us to go to!! That is always nice. They were able to get a lot of donations from the community and we had plenty of food, with lots of leftovers! They were selling flowers and even had a professional photographer! It was really nice. Zachary did what most boys do, he ran around all night and didn't dance at all. Isaiah on the other hand was tearing up the dance floor! Look for the video later tonight! He was too cute! Z was not letting me take a lot of picturess so here are a few of the good ones.

One more thing, when we were in the car on the way to baseball this afternoon, Z informed me that he thought it was time to ask someone to be his girlfirend on Tuesday! Look for the video of Isaiah and a baseball post coming soon!

WILW

2011-02-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

I saw this on my friend Kelly's blog and I thought I would join in too.

Today I am loving.....

1. These wild and crazy boys, did I even need to say that?!

2. I love this view, I live in one of the best places ever!

3. I love this book, it has helped my marriage a lot and continues to help it.

4. I love this store! I like to look nice, but not too young and this store is great for me! I only shop there for sales and special occasions but I love it all the same!

So what are you loving today?!

Family Dinner....what is that?

2011-02-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

Family dinner is non existent in this house. I am sure that one day when everyone's schedule settles down and the kids get older and can actually sit at the table that things will be different. Until then this is what dinner looks like here in the Sanchez House.....

Noah usually goes first, he isn't one to miss a meal!

So glad we bought the bigger kitchen table.

Meanwhile the other two are doing there own thing.....

Next comes Zachary for his dinner, once again this bigger table has really come in handy!

Then mommy drinks her dinner

Isaiah skips dinner for this night and Daddy is still at work.

One day in the Sanchez house family dinner will return, but until then we will make do with what works for us!!

This is why I blog......

2011-02-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Cesar Isaiah Sanchez

You can not leave this boy alone for 5 seconds without all heck breaking loose! I am alone most nights with the boys and bed and bath are a little challenging. So tonight I need to put Noah to bed and I leave Isaiah in the playroom/kitchen with Zachary. Now putting Noah to bed consists of walking up the stairs and laying him in his crib, 2 minutes tops.

I come back down the stairs to this.....

I guess he was thirsty and just couldn't wait 2 minutes. Not surprising, not surprising at all! How can you resist this face.....

I can't and that is half the problem here in the Sanchez house!!

Celebrating a good friends birthday and maybe a girlfriend is in Zachary's future?!

2011-02-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

Today we headed to the bowling alley to celebrate one of Zachary's friends birthday. Aneesa turned 9 today and she has become a good friend of Zachary's and her mommy has become a good friend of mine! We all had a great time having cake, cotton candy and popcorn and hanging out with friends. Zachary wasn't sure about going to the party, it was a Justin Beiber theme. He thought his friends would make fun of him!

On another note, this morning Z asked me to put gel in his hair before school. What?! He has never cared about what he looked like before today. I did, he went to the bathroom to see what it looked like and requested I do it different, like maybe get the hair dryer and make it spike up more! I swear, I thought that having boys would meant that I was not fixing hair in the mornings!! I think there may be a girl in the picture, I hope not! He is still to young for that in my eyes!

What a great weekend!!

2011-01-31T18:21:00.000-08:00

I am so blessed! I realize this more and more each day as I grow as a wife and a mother and in my faith. I am learning, sometimes slowly, to take each day and cherish it. To let the little things go and spend time on the big things, my boys. We had a full house this weekend with Q, R and K over and we headed to John's Incredible Pizza for some good fun a fun with Grandma, Papa and Dina. Life is good when you get to spend the weekend having fun and playing hard!

I LOVE living out here in CA, but........

2011-01-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

I am reminded when I get an invitation to an even I can not attend back in KY what I am missing.

Being an Army wife means moving, sometimes far away from where you grew up and far away from your friends and family. This is the case for me. I love being out here, so much I would stay if it came to that. I have friends out here and family out here that I love. I am blessed that I get the opportunity to fly back to KY to visit at least twice a year. That being said when one of your oldest friends, read little sister, is getting married and you get an invitation to a Stock the Bar party at a GREAT place in KY and you know you can not attend, it makes me a little sad. I love this family so much. They lived down the street from us growing up and they were my second family for sure. Heather is like another little sister to me and when she called to tell me she was getting married I couldn't have been happier for her. I am so excited to be in this wedding and to fly back to KY in July for a weekend of parties and happiness, but today I am a little sad I will not be celebrating at the Stock the Bar party, at least not in body, but I will be there in spirit!!!

Wonderful weather out here!!

2011-01-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

The weather has been awesome out here, well except for the winds! They have died down today and we are heading to the park after school to play for a while. Daddy is getting off early and the grill is getting fired up tonight for dinner! I have cleaned the house and finished the laundry. We are getting ready for a weekend with my two nephews and one niece that will include, I am sure, video games and a trip to a pizza place! Can't wait. I will post some pictures of our park outing later tonight!

Enjoy your weather, whatever it is!

Wow, time flies!

2011-01-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

I really like blogging, I just can't seem to find the time like I used to when Isaiah was a baby. There always seems like so much is going on here that sitting at the computer for an extended amount of time usually doesn't happen. I am going to make it a goal this year to blog more. Not for others to read but to keep the memories for me and my boys!

So here we go again, the crazy life of the Sanchez Family!! Hang on, it's going to be wild!!

Zachary's Thursday Night ballgame

2010-04-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

This baseball season has been a little bit of a struggle. Zachary has moved up to what they call farm and the kids pitch to each other. There have been a number of kids hit by the pitcher, Zachary included, and a lot of them are now scared of the ball. You can see at least half of the kids backing out of the batter's box scared to death. Zachary has not had a hit since his birthday back in March and he is really dissapointed in himself. He has a hard time when he doesn't excel in things. We were on our way to the game Thursday night and he was really quite. I noticed that the closer we got to the field the quiter he got. I asked him waht was wrong and he started to tear up and say that he just wanted to hit the ball. My heart was breaking for him and all I wanted to do was hug him, but he is way to big for that! So I started telling him about Granddaddy and his love for baseball. That this should be fun for him and it was always fun for Granddaddy, when he played, when he coached, when he was at the field, or watching the Reds on TV he was always happy with baseball. I told Z that this should be fun or we shouldn't be doing it. He said ok mom and got out of the car to join his teammates on the field to practice. I sat in the car, had a good cry for my baby and prayed to God and asked Granddaddy and Meamaw to watch Z's game and cheer him on to a hit, at least one. The game starts and he is first to bat, I am sick at my stomach and I can hardly watch. I am praying over and over, please let him hit it, please let him hit it. He swings and connects.......foul ball. I breathe again. The next pitch, ball 1, again I breathe. The third pitch he swings, connects and it goes right past the pitcher's mound!!!! I am up off the bleachers running to 1st with him! He is thrown out but the look on his face told me that he was ok, he was so happy to have hit it! I go back to my seat and try not to cry. He gets back up to bat 3 innings later and again I start my prayer. He connects on the first pitch and again is thrown out at first. This time he comes skipping off the field. I am so proud of him my heart could burst out of my chest. I leave then to get the little ones and I am crying the whole way home. I am so happy he is out of his hitting slump, but I know that my Granddaddy and Meamaw were cheering so loud up in Heaven Thursday night and I know that they played a big part in his two hits!

My MeaMaw

2010-04-30T23:17:00.000-07:00

While it was great to have my parents out here, there was some sadness along with their trip too. My Mom's mom had to go into the hospital on the Monday after Noah's birthday. She had been sick on and off for a while. She had been in and out of the hospital since my wedding. She passed away on Thursday, April 22nd. I thank God that my mom made it home to see her before she passed. My Meamaw was a great woman and she will be missed by a lot of people, my Paw Paw especially. They had been married for 64 years and he is lost with out her. While it is sad to have to say goodbye, it's not really goodbye, it's more like see you later in Heaven. I am happy that she is free now, no more oxygen, no more wheelchair just her. I am happy to be able to picture her like that again, it's been a long time. I am also glad that she now has a front row seat for all of my boys things. She got to see Zachary play ball Thursday night for the first time in a long time, I am a firm believer that you can check in on us from Heaven. I know her and granddaddy were cheering him on big time.

Birthday Pictures

2010-04-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

Photo slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Noah's 1st Birthday!

2010-04-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday April 17th we had Noah's Birthday Carnival! I was so much fun. It's hard to believe that my baby is already a year old. Time passes so fast with children. In the blink of an eye they are grown up and doing so much. I have said before that things are a little sad with Noah. I know that he is my last baby and I am fine with that, but I am sad that there will be no more 1st birthday's. My parents flew out to help us celebrate and that was awesome. It's nice that they are still such a big part of my boys' lives, even if we do live across the country. We had a lot of friends and family celebrating with us. There were carnival games and a popcorn and cotton candy machine. We had a face painter and the chance to win a real goldfish. A Big Top cake and pinata finished the night. I was exhausted at the end of the night but it was all worth it.

Noah is an awesome baby. He is so laid back and go with the flow. Nothing really ever bothers him, except when he is hungry and then look out! He walked at 9 months, he climbs on everything. He has a big attitude in that small body. He will scream at you when he is mad, he claps his hands at you to get your attention, he loves his brothers! I think he is a little scared of Isaiah but he loves him nonetheless. He eats anything that you put in front of him, but he is true to his Mexican heritage! He loves his beans and rice. He sleeps alright, better than Isaiah but not as good as Zachary did at his age. He loves his paci but he doesn't have a lovey like my other two do. He likes a blue blanket but is not as attached to it as Zachary is to baby and Isaiah is to blankie. I love having boys and Noah is no exception. Happy Birthday my little one!

Easter and Family Pictures

2010-04-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter, a little late!

2010-04-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

Easter was a lot of fun here in the Sanchez household! I hosted it for the first time ever. Let's not kid anyone, it's the first holiday I have ever hosted! I am no Martha Stewart, but it turned out ok. Cesar's parents and the girls came over and Sgt. F and his family also joined us. Sgt. F recruits with Cesar and they are from SC so they have no family out here. I am still getting used to the mexican Easter! We grilled out carne asada and chicken and had beans and rice, tortilla chips, salsa, ect... It was great and the weather was great too. We had an earthquake here, a 7.2, center in Mexico but Papa was the only one who felt it. As a friend posted on FB, He has risen and the earth has shaken! I am still not sure if that's a good thing or not. The kids had a blast hunting for eggs, but Isaiah was really scared of the Easter Bunny. Enjoy the pictures of Easter!

Noah's 1st Haircut!

2010-04-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took Noah for his first haircut! It was getting a little long around his ears and getting like a mullett in the back. It was bittersweet for me. I was excitied to see him expirence another "first" but sad at the same time because every "first" for him is a "last" for me. This is my last baby and while I am ready to be done with the baby stage I am sad at the same time.

Noah before the haircut

Noah after his haircut looking so grown up!

Birthday Pictures

2010-03-22T20:58:00.001-07:00

Happy 8th Birthday Zachary!

2010-03-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that my little boy turned 8 on the 16th of March! It seems like not that long ago when it was just me and him living in our first house in Shelbyville, learning how to be a family. So much has changed since then. He now has two little brothers and a daddy. We live all the way in California now too. He is the most amazing 8 year old I know. He is super smart, smarter than me that's for sure and he loves school. His test scores are super high and he tested for the Gifted and Talented Program at his school for next year. Math comes super easy for him, I think he gets that from my dad. He loves his brothers and helps out so much. There is no way I could do it with out him. He loves to play baseball and is a great hitter. He is getting into sports now. He is starting to understand the games and the statistics and is a great play by play announcer. Unless it's a tight game and then it's quite aggravating! :) He is a U of L fan, but also a KY fan too. I think he does that to drive my nuts. He loves the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles for NFL, the Lakers are his team in the NBA and he bleeds Dodger blue for sure! He is polite and I am always getting compliments on his behavior, it makes me and his daddy really proud. It has been an amazing 8 years and I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes in the future!

Opening day Baseball 2010

2010-03-22T20:32:00.001-07:00

Play Ball!!

2010-03-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Zachary has started baseball again and boy are we busy! There is practice at least twice a week and two games a week too. I am worn out with being at the ball park! I have to admit, I love baseball. It reminds me of my granddaddy and I love just about anything that reminds me of him! I can remember spending lots of summer night at the park with my grandparents watching American Legion games and loving every minute of it. I can't help but think of how Granddaddy would love watching Z play. Opening day here in CA is amazing. I have never seen anything like it for youth baseball. They named the park after an older man who they called a "friend to baseball". I started crying listening to this, all I could think of was granddaddy. They have an opening pitch, a parade of all the teams with their banners and flags, it is a sight to see. Zachary's team this year is the Padres. Of course I have outfitted us all in Padres gear, pretty easy here in CA! We all load up and go to the park 4 nights a week. Cesar, as busy as he is, hasn't missed a game yet. He is such a great daddy!! Here are some pictures of Zachary's opening day and some games and practices. He also got the game ball on his birthday!

Isaiah in mascara

2010-03-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

Isaiah's March antics!

2010-03-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

If you have read this blog before you know that Isaiah is a wild one to say the least. Now that I am not nursing I thought that it would be easier to control him a little bit better, WRONG! Now my issues come when I am putting Noah down for a nap. I put Isaiah on my bed while I went to give Noah his bottle and put him down for a nap. I was gone for a total of 10 minutes. Well when I came back into my bed room I saw a huge wet spot on my bed and Isaiah nowhere in sight. When I found him he was in my makeup and covered in mascara! The wet spot on my bed was a water bottle that he dumped out! Here are the pictures that I took to capture the moment.

The past 6 months in pictures!

2010-03-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

A quick overview of the last 6 months, or as much as I can remember!

2010-03-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been really busy here in the Sanchez house the last few months. These boys sure know how to keep a mommy busy! I am loving life with them, and trying to enjoying the little things. Noah is getting so big, he will turn one next month. Where did the year go? It seems like yesterday I was bringing him home and now he is walking everywhere and getting into everything. Isaiah is a mess! He is still into everything and nothing phases him. He could care less about time out and spanking just makes him laugh. He will be the death of me, I am sure. Zachary just started baseball and is on the Padres team and is loving it. He is super smart and got all O's on his last report card. Since I blogged last Zachary had a birthday and turned 8, we had a visit to KY and celebrated our first Christmas in California. I will post a few of my favorite pictures for you to see!

I hope to start being consistant in the blogging, I have a lot goin on with these boys and I am sure you will want to read all about it!

I'm Back!!

2010-03-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, the life of a mom with three busy boys leaves little time for blogging! Well that an now a new obssession with facebook! :) I am missing so much by not sharing all the crazy things that my boys do so I have made a decision to start blogging again. My boys, especially my middle one, do such great funny things that I want the world, well ok the 3 people that read my blog, to know about it! So look for weekly posts, if not more depending on Isaiah's new tricks! The first update will come at nap time today so check back for a recap of the last 6 months!

Another trip to Urgent Care for Isaiah

2009-09-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Monday afternoon started out like any other afternoon in the Sanchez house. Z was upstairs doing his homework and I was nursing Noah on the couch in the playroom while Isaiah played. Is this starting to sound familiar, nursing Noah, Isaiah playing...seeing a pattern here? Isaiah comes up to me and tells me he had "mocos" which is Spanish for snot. I tell him to let me see and I try to get it out. Those who know me well know I will pick any kids nose in a heartbeat. I don't see anything right away so I finish feeding Noah and then get Isaiah on my lap to take a better look. Well what do I see but a piece of plastic stuck up his nose!! I try to get the tweezers to get it out but I can't. So I yell upstairs to Z to get his shoes and off we head to the Urgent Care. Grandma is at the doctor herself so I have to take all 3 boys with me. We get to the Urgent care and the doctor gets it out and we head home. Just another day in the life of Isaiah! Here are the few picture I took!

August pictures

2009-09-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

Stress Relief for my BFF! ;)

2009-09-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have been a bad blogger so tonight at the request of Cara Beth I am going to upload some pictures and post some happening here in the Sanchez household, or the Sanchez zoo as I like to call it!

We love living here in sunny CA! We have been making trips to Disneyland and the Urgent Care, they know me by name now! Since my last post we have celebrated Noah's 4 month birthday and Isaiah's 2nd birthday. Zachary has been in school a month and a half now and he got the Behavior Award for August! The weather has been so hot here the kids are not allowed outside for recess at school. They have not been able to go outside for almost 2 weeks. The fires are really bad here and we get the ashes all over the cars along with the horrible smoke smell. They are starting to get some of them contained but a new one started today. We are spending a lot of time with Grandma and Papa due to the fact Cesar works A LOT! I am not complaining, the food there is great!

Enjoy the picture from August!

He is going to be the death of me!!

2009-08-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here goes the Isaiah story of the day! While I was once again nursing Noah, I guess he will just have to stop eating, Isaiah was doing his new dance while watching the Wiggles. This all seems pretty safe, well as safe as Isaiah can be. He is really getting into it and all of the sudden he trips and falls landing on the video chair. He is crying and so I put Noah down, much to chunk's disappointment, and go to check out the damage. I was shocked to see the huge bump over his eye and his nose bleeding! I call the doctor's office and head over to have him checked out. When I get to the doctors office we are waiting for Dr. C and I am just sitting back watching Isaiah. He is climbing on the rolling stool and pushing himself across the room, he climbs onto the front of the table/truck and falls in the front window, he pulls down the paper from the table while trying to climb on top of it. I am thinking, at least if he falls here were are in the right place!

Dr. C comes in and starts to look at him. He tells me he is going to check for bleeding in the head, WHAT?!?! I really didn't' think it was that bad, I just wanted his eye checked out. He goes on to tell me that you can tell if there in bleeding internally by looking in the nose, eyes and ears. I am starting to get a little nervous here and wishing we were back in KY at Dr. A's office! He is just chatting away about Natasha Richards and how they should have checked her ears and they probably could have saved her. All the time I am thinking, is it that bad, does my baby have bleeding internally. He then pronounces him fine and to watch for other signs of internal bleeding such as vomitting, slurring speech(come on, he's 2 all his speech is slurred) and disorientation and sends me on my way. I am thankful he is okay but left a lot more worried then when I came in!! I am sure it will be worse tomorrow so I will post some more pictures!

Isaiah's dare devil pictures take 2!

2009-08-10T20:53:00.001-07:00

Isaiah's dare devil pictures

2009-07-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

Why do I open my mouth?!?!

2009-07-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

I will never learn! As I sat at the computer trying to update the blog with yet another Isaiah story I think he is safely in the playroom watching tv with his brother. When what do I hear..."Mom, he climbed the gate!" from Zachary. I get up and running towards me is my own almost 2 year old Houdini! He used the grocery cart, turned it on it's side, pushed it to the gate and climbed right over! Someone help me! I took the grocery cart out and decided the rest of the post below was going to have to wait until nap time. Well the phone rang and I had to leave the playroom to get the cordless and then I see him using the door part of the gate to climb over again!! I am not sure what to do now. He is going to drive me batty!!!

**UPDATE**
As I sat down to post this during the boys naps Noah started crying. I headed upstairs to get him and while I am changing his diaper I look over my shoulder and see Isaiah! He was SUPPOSED to be in his crib. He climbed out....AGAIN!! He climbed out Saturday but I put the mattress on the floor and it seemed to fix the problem, until today!! I have no idea what to do now. Once again the phone rang and I went into the bedroom to answer it. As I come back into Noah's room Isaiah is in the crib with Noah!! If he wasn't so cute I would strangle him!! I headed to Babies R Us to see what they have and ended up deciding to child proof the room and then turn the crib into a toddler bed. So I take Isaiah and Noah to Grandma's and start the child proofing because my husband works all the time and who knows when he will be home. I get the crib turned into the toddler bed, and made up so nice, and start feeling pretty good about myself. I can do this with out Cesar I think, I am woman!! Well then I start to put the latches on the drawers, because I DO NOT need him throwing out clothes all night long, and they don't fit! So now I am sitting here posting this before I go pick up the boys so I don't lose my mind. I need a little down time so I used the blog to destress for a moment.

~~Classic me...I made him do it all over again so that I could capture it on film. Enjoy the pictures.~~

Guess what Isaiah did now!

2009-07-27T09:26:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went upstairs to take a nice hot bath while Cesar had the boys. When I turned on the water I noticed it started coming out funny. So I turned it off and looked under the faucet, this is what I saw.

I tried to get it out with my hands and no luck. So I headed to the garage to get a screwdriver. I finally got the obstruction out and this is what it was...

It is the bubble wand from some bath bubbles! Stay tuned for what he does next. I am almost scared to see what it is!!

Noah is 3 months old!!

2009-07-19T21:43:00.001-07:00

Noah is now 3 months old! Time is flying by here in the Sanchez house. He got to go into the pool for the first time yesterday and he loved every minute of it. He is just like his daddy, a water baby. He is getting so big, about 16 pounds and 26 inches long. He is wearing 6 month clothes already and fits some 9 month stuff, what am I going to do?! Nothing I saved from Isaiah is going to work, the timing and the sizes are all different! Noah is such a good baby. Very laid back and do with the flow. He only cries when he is hungry or tired and that's not very often. He smiles so big at you and loves to be talked to. He loves his brothers and smiles at them all the time. He is sleeping through the night!!!! Usually from about 8 to 5 and then he eats and goes back to sleep until around 7 or so. I have NEVER had a baby do this and I am thrilled!! I can not wait to see what the next month brings us!

Ky picture #2

2009-07-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ky pictures

2009-07-09T20:28:00.001-07:00

Catching up! really long

2009-07-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have blogged...there just doesn't seem to be the time like I used to have. It might have something to do with my 3 sons!! We have been busy since the end of school. Swimming at Grandma's, playing with friends and cousins and getting ready for the big KY trip! I could talk forever about going home, it was awesome.

We headed home on the 23rd of June. Nana came out to help me with the boys on the plane ride. It went surprisingly well I thought. When we landed at the airport we couldn't get to the front fast enough. Grandpa, Kel, and most importantly Bradley, Brady and Bella Ann were there waiting for us! I couldn't believe how little Bella was compared to my chunk of a baby. Bradley and Zachary were running around crazy and Brady was just taking it all in. Of course Kelly and I cried and I am tearing up now as I write this. I was so happy to see my babies again and to be able to spend two weeks with them. I was excited to show off my baby to gran and meamaw and pawpaw...really missed granddaddy on this trip. We headed to O'Charles for dinner, they don't have those out here. It was there Bradley showed us his wonderful trick he learned at school...how to make tooting noises with a bendy straw, definitely the highlight of the night. It was so nice to be with family again. We did a lot of things, zoo, shopping, gran's for lunch and dinner, the park. We had a great cookout on Saturday and I got to see a lot of people and introduce Noah to them all. It was a nice way to see people and not have to drag 3 kids all around the state!! It was a great time and it went too fast. It is hard being here with no friends and no one to hang out with. I miss that the most, just hanging out with Kelly and the kids. I love the army life most of the time, just not when it is time to leave my family. We got home on the 8th and now we are trying to get things put away and gearing up for some swim lessons and the start of school on the 28th for Z.

I took over 400 pictures while I was at home, don't worry I won't post all of them, just a few of my favorites! Look for some swim lesson pictures and a wiggles concert to come soon!

Zachary lost another tooth!!

2009-06-16T13:15:00.001-07:00

Zachary lost his 3rd tooth yesterday! It was funny because we were actually in the dr's office having his teeth looked at because they have been loose forever and were starting to turn grey. Nothing is wrong with them, they are just taking their time falling out. His other front tooth is loose too. He will be singing that famous song this Christmas for sure!!

Zachary's award day!

2009-06-15T17:55:00.001-07:00

Today was Zachary's awards ceremony at school. He got the Good Behavior Award, the Academic Achievement Award and the Presidental Award. We are so proud of him for doing so well in school. He really likes it and so far it seems to come easy for him. I only hope it continues that way! Cesar's station commander let him come to the awards ceremony, the highlight for Zachary, especially when the kids in his class told him how cool it was to have a dad in the army!

Outnumbered and Loving it!!

Thomas the Train again, 5 years later

Happy Halloween, may the force be with you!

I'm back, yes I know you have missed me!

Going on the field at the Angel's game!!!!

September 11th

It's a God thing weekend.... **added new picture from my husband**

Want to know what we do while Isaiah is playing tball?

I love these wild and crazy boys!

This man.....

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet Isaiah!

Happy Birthday to my furry son!

For Daddy, Isaiah's 1st tball practice

Isaiah's Army party at school!

This morning

Feel's like Alexander today.......

The Royal Wedding had nothing on this!

Noah's 1st trip to the beach!

My boys LOVE the water!

4th of July with the girls!

A day at Disney for my birthday! and a couple of days just because!

Isaiah plays basketball!!

Taste of KY tour, front yard baseball with Grandpa, and time with cousins

Overwhelmed, excitied, nervous,

I am such a proud Mom!

"You've got your hands full"

I am a winner!!!!

Happy Memorial Day!

Check out this great giveaway on my friends blog!

What an awesome weekend I had!!

Check out these cute bathing suits for moms!

I am not sure I have the words to express this but I am going to try!

My heart breaks for these brothers

Baseball

Conflicted thoughts

Who has the best husband..........

Easter Weekend

New memories at an old place!

WILW

Isaiah's first Preschool Party!!

Noah's 2nd birthday slideshow!

My last baby turns 2~bittersweet for me!

Just amazing to me

WILW

I think I might have a problem......

WILW

I still need your help!

Isaiah's first day of preschool!

A house divided! Thanks to Grandpa!

This is what we do for fun......

Mommy's helper

My wonderful, amazing, loving, world's best husband

Yet another sign from above

Please help me fight this!

March in Pictures!

Great giveaways!!

Time for a change

This momma is worn out!!!

WILW

Cupid's Ball at Zachary's school

WILW

Family Dinner....what is that?

This is why I blog......

Celebrating a good friends birthday and maybe a girlfriend is in Zachary's future?!

What a great weekend!!

I LOVE living out here in CA, but........

Wonderful weather out here!!

Wow, time flies!

Zachary's Thursday Night ballgame

My MeaMaw

Birthday Pictures

Noah's 1st Birthday!

Easter and Family Pictures

Happy Easter, a little late!

Noah's 1st Haircut!

Birthday Pictures

Happy 8th Birthday Zachary!

Opening day Baseball 2010

Play Ball!!

Isaiah in mascara

It's a God thing weekend.... added new picture from my husband

Catching up! really long