A family of MnM's...

Wake Me Up When September Ends...

2009-08-31T23:44:00.002-05:00

In just a short 15 minutes the dreaded September will be here...

Somehow my heart always knows it's coming, I've been just down in the dumps for the past week {I apologize if I have snapped at anyone or been somewhere lost in space} and I know it's because it's getting close... Every year I think to myself "I can't believe I have lived with a piece of me missing for so long." However, like I've said over and over "I'm not a strong person, I just had NO OTHER choice." I'm here and she's not, and even though I wished for a long time that the world would quit spinning around me, it didn't. Just like I wish I could go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow and it would be October 1st instead, but again that's not gonna happen. I will have to wake up every single day this month and breath deeply and live through it. {deep sigh...}

I added the Green Day song "Wake me up when September ends" to the blog for this month... Below are the lyrics, this year the song more than ever applies to me exactly since it says it's been seven years since his dad has been gone. This year will be 7 years since Madee has been gone. The only thing I changed in the lyrics below is father to daughter.

"Wake Me Up When September Ends"

Summer has come and passed

The innocent can never last

wake me up when September ends

like my daughter's come to pass

seven years has gone so fast

wake me up when September ends

here comes the rain again

falling from the stars

drenched in my pain again

becoming who we are

as my memory rests

but never forgets what I lost

wake me up when September ends

summer has come and passed

the innocent can never last

wake me up when September ends

ring out the bells again

like we did when spring began

wake me up when September ends

here comes the rain again

falling from the stars

drenched in my pain again

becoming who we are

as my memory rests

but never forgets what I lost

wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed

The innocent can never last

wake me up when September ends

like my daughter's come to pass

twenty years has gone so fast

wake me up when September ends

My Baby is in Kindergarten!

2009-08-24T13:33:00.007-05:00

The "K" is for Kindergarten. I am going to do this every year {well as long as he will let me I guess}

Star wars backpack from pottery barn kids

He sat right down and started coloring!

Peanut Free Table!

Today Matthew started Kinder. He didn't care for waking up early this morning, but we promised to bring him lunch! So we took him Sonic. He said he was having a good day. He has one friend in his class that he knows, a little boy from his baseball team. Here are some of pics of him. Which by the way this morning he said to me "why do you have to take a picture of me for EVERYTHING mom?!"

Madee's 7th Birthday Pics

2009-08-18T19:18:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from Madee's Birthday that I never posted. I made a big pink and brown cupcake cake. I made those ladybugs to sick in it instead of candles, so that's why there is 7 ladybugs. It was chilly that day and it luckily didn't rain until we left. The below pictures are not in order sorry...

The Balloons in the sky

Nina & her boys

The cake with the Ladybugs

We flew a ladybug kite

We let go 3000 ladybugs like we do every year

Ladybugs

Aiden drawing Madee a wonderful picture!

After we all wrote our message to Madee we got ready to let the balloons go

here is the cake without the ladybugs

the boys with the cake

balloons I got for Madee

the boys

Matthew's 3rd Season playing Basketball

2009-08-18T10:28:00.003-05:00

This was Matthew's 3rd season to play bball. We got to be back on Coach Raul's team {whom we love} and it was a great season. We were the Red Dragon's. Matthew can't wait for the next season! We just signed up for fall ball so that will keep him occupied during the fall.

Here is a short video of Matthew with the ball! He is #9. Sorry it's not the best video, but you can see him dribbling and then make the basket. :)

Matthew had surgery...

2009-08-16T18:32:00.007-05:00

My baby had a Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy on Thursday the 13th of August. It was something I knew for a while he was going to need because I knew all of the symptoms. I tried and tried to get a picture of his tonsils but I couldn't get a good one. Basically they were HUGE! I do not know how he swallowed his food!! His snoring has always been as loud as Carlos'. Scary!

Okay back to the surgery, it was scheduled very quickly. I couldn't talk about it without getting very emotional. For 2 days straight before I couldn't stop crying. {My poor boss} I was a wreck. I barely slept. When Carlos told me he was scared I lost it! However, through everything I never let Matthew see me upset. He was not scared, thank god because I don't know that I could have gone through with it if he had been.

The day of we had to be there at 6:30am and the surgery was set to begin at 7:30. We got there at 6:15 and they took us back right at 6:30. My mom followed us there, she was the only person I asked to be there. She had to stay in the waiting room once they took us back to pre-op. In pre-op we had to answer the normal questions to the nurse they put Matthew's hospital bracelet on along with a big bright red bracelet that listed things he was allergic to. Then the Anesthesiologist came and spoke to us. He was very nice to Matthew and did make him feel comfortable, however I am sitting there trying to keep the tears from rolling down my face, because believe me they were at the edge of my eyelids. Then for about 25 minutes we were left alone. During that time Carlos & I played, laughed, hugged & told Matthew how much we loved him. {Just writing this makes me start to cry} Then right at 7:30 the Doctor came to us, he said hello, joked with Matthew a little and asked us if we had any more questions. Then he said "okay Matthew let's go" and he held out his hand for Matthew to take. I bent down kissed Matthew and whispered "I love you baby" to him then completely turned away and lost it. I was sobbing and then made the mistake of looking over at Carlos and I got worse. A nurse quickly came over and brought me tissues and then directed us to the room that we would be staying overnight in. Also where they would be bringing Matthew to us.

Once we got to the room I sat down and Carlos stood on the other end of the room. I got a hold of myself. Carlos was trying to be funny and light-hearted. {mind you he admitted more than once, he was just as much of a wreck on the inside as I was} Carlos messed around with stuff and got me to giggle a little. Let me just say that was the longest 45 minutes of my life. I could barely sit still. I watched every second of the clock go by. Finally I saw the doctor walking toward our room. He walked through the door and I stopped breathing. I don't think I took another breath until he said Matthew was okay. Once I started breathing again, I immediately started crying again...I know this doctor was thinking {why is she crying, I am telling her he is fine.} Once he left the room, every emotion from the past few days was released. My head fell to my hands. Carlos and I had a moment together that I think he would rather I keep between us. {for his manly pride} I am sure that everyone that could see us was probably thinking something bad had happened. With us being parents that have lost a child the way we did we have a totally different look on things. We have no trust. We are scared. We have different thoughts & emotions than people who have not been through the unthinkable. The thoughts and memories that came to me days before Matthew's surgery are seriously worse than anything you could possibly even think.

Once we knew he was okay Carlos & I relaxed. We took the coffee that we had been offered 45 minutes earlier. and sat there and talked until finally 30 minutes later they wheeled Matthew in to us. He was awake but groggy. He quietly talked to us for a moment. My mom then came back to where we were. She talked to him for a few minutes and then he fell asleep. He was asleep for about 30 minutes. Then was up and drinking fluids. He asked for his ds and only complained of the iv being in the way of him playing his game. It wasn't long before he asked to go to the bathroom and once he was up walking around he said he was ready to go home. Well, we were told that we had to stay overnight because they wanted to make sure he did okay because he has so many allergies. He was up until 11:30 that night with only one more 30 minute nap! He never complained of any pain. I couldn't believe it. Neither could the nurses. Just 6 hours after the surgery he was making us laugh by doing this hilarious dance {from his bed} heart monitor, iv and all. {It's loaded at the very bottom, it's long but I think it is pretty funny!!} He kept asking all day for visitors. My mom went home and picked up Haylee. They stopped and bought him 2 board games. {which we played numerous times} another thing the nurses were shocked that he wanted to do. My dad stopped and saw him after work. Then at 5:30 they brought in his dinner...now this was his first complaint....well more like he completely melted down. We were told that usually kids sleep all day after that surgery so they only feed them dinner. However Matthew had been up all day and all he had since 10 the night before was Popsicles. He was starving. Well his dinner was pureed chicken and mashed potatoes. When I sat the tray down in his lap he said in a starting to cry voice "MOM, they forgot my chicken" I said "no baby it's right here" as i took the lid off. Once he layed eyes on that blended, awful smelling pile of slop, he threw himself back on the bed and started crying. Then he said "I HATE WHAT THESE DOCTORS BROUGHT ME TO EAT!" I consoled him and promised him I would get him something else. I called up aunt desiree who I knew was coming to see him soon and asked her if she could bring him some soup. She did and he ate A LOT of it. Poor guy! Carlos walked across the street and got us Chipolte for dinner and I gave Matthew almost all of the chicken out of my burrito. :) Also he was so happy that his cousin Aiden came to see him, oh and Dane and Amber. Aiden sat on the bed with Matthew and they colored and played games for 45 minutes. At around 6 the nurse told Matthew she would take out his iv {because he was begging to be "free"} if he promised to keep drinking and eating popsicles. That was not a pleasant moment. He was definitely not thinking it was going to hurt when it came out. Needless to say he was mad at that nurse, but he was free! He could now go to the bathroom on his own! Once he fell asleep I was up for about another hour then I climbed into his bed with him {there was only one chair for one parent to spend the night, so i told carlos to sleep in that and I would sleep with Matthew.} As I layed there next to Matthew I couldn't believe that for as long as I could remember I was not hearing anything from Matthew. He was asleep and it was QUIET! That was a sigh of relief, I know that he is going to get a better night's sleep and that I will too! I also don't have to worry anymore about his sleep apnea!

They let us go at 6am the next morning and we got home and all 3 of us climbed in bed and slept till 11. We were so glad to be home.

Since the surgery, Matthew has done so well. He doesn't really complain of pain. His only complaints are, taking the nasty tasting pain meds and all the foods he CAN'T have. He keeps saying "I hate those doctors for not letting me eat what I want to eat!"

He did wake up today with a sour stomach and he threw up twice. I made him go back to sleep and he slept til almost 3. When he woke up at 3 he felt a lot better. They told me to expect that because of the meds he is taking.

We are just glad that it is all over and that he is safe and doing well. I know that it is a good thing that we did the surgery because he really needed it. {one day his wife will thank me..ha ha}

Now if you made it this far, here are some pics.

Aunt Haylee reading him the book she brought "Curious George goes to the Hospital" which is the book she got from aunt desiree when she got her tonsils taken out.

Matthew cuddling with Rockstar {he wasn't really sleeping..lol}

playing his ds...this was just about an hour and a half after the surgery...his face was still swollen

10 years later...

2009-08-16T16:10:00.009-05:00

I taped this huge sign to my mom's garage real late the night before Deven graduated.

Most of you know I am the oldest of 4. We are all 5 years apart. The order goes Me, Dane, Deven & Haylee. These next series of pictures are from my little brother Deven's high school Graduation. He graduated from Bowie High School, just like I did. He graduated EXACTLY 10 years after me. My Mom figured out years and years back, that the years that we all were going to Graduate and we have always thought it was pretty cool. Me {1999}, Dane {2003}, Deven {2009} and Haylee will be {2013}. See the pattern...isn't that cool!! It goes even further than that... Deven and I were both born on Wednesday's and Haylee & Dane both on Tuesday's. My mom claims that Deven & I are alike and that Dane & Haylee are alike. Isn't that so weird?!?! Well I have always thought so...

Anyway, I'm very proud of my little brother. He will be going to college in the fall, and my parents bought him a car. I can't believe how old he has gotten. Little devi doo is all grown up now...

Congratulations Deven!

The Graduate

Devi Doo & Haylee Bug

Deven & Mom

and another

aka... Southside Legends

The Cousins

The Dad with the sons (yeah, my dad always has that "deer in headlight" look on his face in pictures..HA HA!)

Leaving the Erwin Center

Here is a pic of Deven & I in 2002, we were in Destin, FL.

Carlos turned 35!

2009-07-16T00:02:00.007-05:00

For Carlos' 35th birthday he got to have his very FIRST birthday party!! His Aunt, Uncle and Cousins & I all did our parts to make it a special day for him. I think he had a lot of fun! It was all family and we had the party in San Antonio. There was a moonwalk, pinata, slide show, DJ, games with awesome prizes, bbq catered & 2 cakes! Here are a few of the pics from that night!

matthew & carlos dancing

matthew headed into the moonwalk

Mel & Shannon got Carlos this awesome mask & realistic light saber

the yoda pinata his mom got in mexico

the birthday boy with the pinata

a game that mel & shannon made

mel & shannon had this paddle painted for carlos

the banner I made

rosemary, eddie & i hung stars and old star wars pics that I cut out.

the r2d2 cake i made

the r2d2 cake and a cupcake cake in the background that mel & shannon bought along with candy in a star wars bowl

the 35 sucks tin I made

We had to say good bye to Carlos' Escape

2009-07-15T23:52:00.005-05:00

So after we were first told that it was being fixed, we got the call saying it was being deemed a total loss! Now this was devastating news, not only because we really liked that car but because we had just bought it for him 2 months before the accident!!! We had a rental car the whole time we thought it was going to be fixed but once it was deemed a loss we had to return the rental. They told us that once they started to take the car apart that they found so much more damage. When we went to retrieve our personal items we got to take a look at the damage that they found. It wasn't good! So, just like that we were back to a one car family. No fun! After a week though Carlos found something that sparked his interest. Needless to say 3 days later it was his! We bought him a 2004 Jeep Cherokee! We are all enjoying it, but we do miss the escape. Carlos and I thought it was really neat that we had a his and hers Escape. An old and new model. We tried to find him another one but we just couldn't find one that was up to par with our standards.

Here is a pic of his new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

so i am a little (or maybe a lot) behind...

2009-07-15T13:14:00.006-05:00

We were in that car accident the beginning of May and our life has been so hectic ever since. That was a really scary/ crappy end to the day. Most of you know the story, but I will touch on it a tad. Basically, I was able to get home a few minutes early from work that day just in time to meet Carlos & Matthew before they left for baseball practice. As the 3 of us walked out of the house I said to Carlos "we are going in my car right?" He said "no all the gear is already in my car and we don't have time to move it." Well, it is very rare that we all go in Carlos' car if we are all together. We were expecting to go in 2 cars because normally I wouldn't be home in time to ride with them. So we all piled in Carlos' car and headed toward dick nichols park for practice. We got on to Davis Lane and were stopped at the stoplight. We were at the very top of the hill and carlos & I were just chit chatting about our days. He was looking at his ipod to change the song and I was looking down at my phone when all of the sudden BANG! we didn't even know what had happened. We had been hit full force from the back, shoved into the car in front of us and then pushed off the road, just barely missing a tree head on. Carlos and I both immediately whipped around to check on Matthew. He wasn't hurt thank god, just VERY scared. Carlos got him out of the car and was comforting him. I was shaking so bad I didn't know what to do next. Carlos told me to call the police and I did, with in seconds a cop was at the scene and once he saw the accident he called the EMS. I was the only one seen by EMS because my big toe was bleeding, it was cut in 2 directions and I lost half of the nail. (It was nasty.) They told me that I probably needed stitches but that if I didn't get them I would be fine. Well anyone that knows me knows I have seizures when a needle is headed my way so I opted no for the stitches. However, now I think it might have been a better idea. My damn toe bleed for weeks because the cut wouldn't stay closed. It is a lot better now, my nail is growing and the cut has completely shut. After the police finished with us Carlos said his leg was hurting and when I looked down it looked as though it was filling with blood. So my Mom & Dad (who Carlos had called and showed up right away) took Matthew home with them and I took Carlos to minor emergency. He had a hematoma. For the next few weeks he had some awful bruising!

Here are some pics of the car and carlos' bruises. I won't show you my toe because it was pretty nasty looking. I only posted 2 of each. I mean I have a ton of both but you get the picture. I also forgot to mention that we were hit so hard that carlos and my seat broke! Completely broke, I included a picture of that.

Madee's 7th Birthday

2009-04-28T22:28:00.002-05:00

This is a picture just 2 weeks before she was taken from me...

Today is my baby girls 7th Birthday. It's so hard to believe that it has been 7 years since I was in the hospital holding my Madee. I think about her every single day, and I miss her more than anything. I wonder all the time what who she'd be today. I have thought all week long about what kind of birthday party she would have wanted this year. I have watched the Hannah Montana movie previews over and over and thought how I should have a seven year old little girl begging me to take her to see that movie....

I love you Madee... Happy Birthday...love Mommee

What I wouldn't give

To have you in my arms again,

Breathe your scent

And snuggle close to you.

I want to watch you sleep,

See your chest rise and fall

In peaceful slumber.

Let me lay my hand

Over your heart,

So I can

Feel it beating

Beneath my touch.

I want to be

Lulled to sleep

By its rhythm.

Easter

2009-04-24T20:54:00.005-05:00

We had easter lunch at our house this year. Carlos made brisket, sausage & ribs. We all ate then had three different kinds of cake for my Mom & Amber's birthday. My Mom's birthday was the next day and Amber's the day after that. Then we went and hunted eggs at the park we always go to. We had lots of fun as usual. Everyone left with confetti all over them except my granny. No one would dare smash one on her...lol. Anyway, here are some of the pictures...

Oh and the quote from the day was from Aiden as he opened the eggs Granny gave him (some had candy & some had money) "Candy & Cash"....well I guess you had to be there to hear how he said it, because it was hilarious. :)

I got this in an email...I thought it was some good advise...

2009-04-23T12:06:00.002-05:00

The highlighted ones are the ones I should practice.

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

Easter treat for Matthew's Teachers

2009-04-10T11:37:00.002-05:00

Matthew's class had an Easter egg hunt on Thursday. I made these carrots and filled them with candy for his teachers. :)

Yum!

2009-04-07T10:11:00.002-05:00

So a couple weeks ago Carlos suprised me with a new set of three mixing bowls! The one in the picture is the medium size one. When you turn them over they look like ladybugs! I was so excited when I saw how cute they were! However I just washed them and put them away, until last night. Of course the first thing I made in them needed to be for him, since he got them for me and all! So when he got home I was in the process of making him brownies...but not just any old brownie. Brownies I saw on another blog! Brownies with cookies inside! All I have to say is...omg...mmmmm...

Here is a pic of the brownies...they kinda look well done but they aren't they are really moist!

Birthday Gifts!

2009-04-05T14:46:00.005-05:00

Last week was Kendall's 1st birthday (Kendall is my friend Lisa's little girl.) I made her a few things here are some pictures of the items.

Handpainted canvas banner

Clippee or Bow holder

Placemat

Sippy Cup

Birthday Party Hat

Here are the pics of the birthday girl...

and matthew...

Yep he broke out in hives and we had to leave as soon as cake was done. We don't know what it was from, we think maybe it was from the cat they had...but we don't know for sure what it was. By the time we got home both of his eyes were bloodshot and he had hives in his throat. Yikes! I followed him around the house with his epi pen and wouldn't let him fall asleep for a little while. The 2 benedryl finally started helping and by morning he was fine.

Last year for Mother's Day...

2009-03-26T11:06:00.003-05:00

I made these cupcake pops last year for Mother's day for my mom. I didn't realize until earlier this week that I didn't have a blog then and I didn't share the pictures with many peeps. Laura is the one who sent me the recipe and we both made them for mother's day. We both thought they looked fairly easy and cute as can be...well we were texting and calling each other through out the process. NOT as easy as they look! We aren't sure that it was exactly fun..but the end result was very cute and they tasted wonderful! We spent hours on them so dang it they better have tasted good!
Once I had them all made I was trying to think of what I could put them in to give them to my mom and I looked over and saw the frosting tub in the sink! I washed it out covered it with some cute paper and voila! My mom loved them...my sister's face lit up when she saw them! It's been almost a year and talking about them makes me want to try them again...but I have to make sure I have a few hours set aside for them...maybe I will make them boyish and make them for matthew's baseball team when it's my turn to bring snacks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T10:14:00.001-05:00

Carlos gave me a festive tattoo for today and I decided to do it Brittany style on my wrist...I have to say I kinda like it there! Anyway, hope everyone has a green day!

My Etsy Store

2009-03-05T10:00:00.003-06:00

Well I finally got some items added to my etsy store, so I thought I'd share the link...

www.holleeshobbees.etsy.com

Check back soon I will be adding more!

Annual Kite Fest!

2009-03-01T23:26:00.005-06:00

I have taken Matthew to the Annual Kite Festival every year since he could walk. Carlos hasn't been able to come since the very first year, so this was exciting. We made it there around 3 and the parking was awful! I haven't ever had to park on the side of mopac like we did today, nut we didn't let it get us down. We hiked our way to the crowd. Once we were in the middle of everyone Matthew was so excited he could barely stand waiting for us to set up our stuff. It was nice having Carlos to carry all the heavy stuff this year. :) We got the kites out and went to flying or attempting to anyway. The wind was up and down. When we had a gust of wind we got the kites in the air as high as we could before it died down. Matthew had the best time a few times he laughed so hard he fell to the ground. He took a break once and sat in the chair just smiling from ear to ear as he watched all the different kites in the air. Carlos and Matthew even played catch for a little while. This is definitely one of our favorite family events.

Our kite, with a sea of others in the background.

Matthew is a Yankee!

2009-02-27T12:11:00.001-06:00

Yep Matthew is a Yankee! This is Matthew's first year to play at Oak Hill. He has played tball since he was three but this is his first year that they will be keeping score! We are so excited and so is he! His first game is on march 12th so I will have lots of pictures to post soon. This picture is from his first practice that was on valentine's day evening. It was really cold that night!!

Matthew's New Milestone

2009-02-22T22:10:00.004-06:00

A week and a half ago we found out that Matthew's two front bottom teeth were loose. Well today was the day we had been waiting for since we found the loose teeth. Everyday we would check his mouth a hundred times to make sure they were still there. This morning he was talking to me and I saw this wide gap and yelled "did you loose your tooth!" Matthew nonchalantly said "yeah" I nearly freaking out said "where is it!!" He just shrugged it's in the game room on my bean bag chair. I rushed in there to find it now on the floor next to the bean bag. He has a cute story of how it fell out...well it's cute when he tells it..ha ha. He was eating apple jacks and it fell out and he said "i thought to myself, what is that? Then I realized, oh that's my tooth. Then I put it down and started eating my apple jacks again" I cracked up! The rest of the day I kept catching him looking in the mirror at his new smile. I also keep seeing his tongue pushing through the whole. Now we are just waiting for the one next to it to come out. It's very close because now he can't leave it alone, so I suspect it won't be long. Here are the pictures and I will update when the 2nd one falls out. Oh and a little background on these 2 teeth. They both came in on the same day when he was 6 months old, it was St. Patrick's day (3-17-04), so almost 5 years later out they go...

Because it's Valentine's

2009-02-12T23:51:00.002-06:00

Enjoy learning about us!

What are your middle names?
Lynn & George (ironic I know)

How long have you been together?
10 years & 5 months

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
few days

Who asked who out?
Carlos did the asking.... he wouldn't back down till I finally said yes

How old were each of you when you met?
I was 17 & he was 23

How old are each of you now?
I am 28 & he is 34

How tall are each of you?
I'm about 5'3" and he's 5'11".

Whose siblings do you see the most?
mine

Do you have any children together?
yep! 2 girl & boy

What about pets?
yep, a dog (Ellee)

Did you go to the same school?
nope

Are you from the same hometown?
nope

Who is the smartest?
depends on the subject

Who is the most sensitive?
Definitely me.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
chuy's lately

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Chicago

Who does the cooking?
Carlos!

Who is more social?
I am.

Who is the neat-freak?
ha ha neither of us

Who hogs the bed?
carlos, I sleep on the edge of our KING SIZE bed

Who wakes up earlier?
ugh....we both sleep till the very last minute...but I am always out of bed first...unless it's the weekend

Who has the bigger family?
Carlos does

How do you spend the holidays?
with my family

Who is more jealous?
uh.... i am a scorpio...it's one of my best traits...lol :)

Do you have little pet names for each other?
dumb & dumber....lol... i call him baby sometimes

How long did it take to get serious?
well we started living together after 7 months...so what do you think?

Who eats more?
Carlos

Who sings better?
me! ha ha

Who’s older?
carlos

Who does the dishes?
we take turns

Who snores?
Carlos...omgsh...i can't fall asleep if he goes to bed first!

Who’s better with the computer?
me

Who drives when you are together?
mostly me...

Who is the first to admit when they're wrong?
Carlos never admits he is wrong

Who kissed who first?
Oh definately Carlos kissed me first!

Who eats more sweets?
Carlos

That was so much fun!
Feel free to do this questionnaire on your blog!

Kids are always listening...

2009-02-05T00:19:00.003-06:00

So one night Matthew and I went to Target to get a few xmas gifts. Well when checking out I grabbed a 20 oz. diet Dr. Pepper. When we got in the car as I was driving through the parking lot I proceeded to open my coke and take a drink. Just as I was putting the cap back on a little voice from the back seat says "Mom, you shouldn't drink and drive you know!" It was so hard for me to not crack up...I just responded "yes sweetie that is very true, no one should ever drink and drive." It's so funny how much they listen to and how they take it all in.

He loves M&M's...

2009-02-04T23:59:00.002-06:00

The last day Matthew had school before Winter Break his class had a Xmas party. They made different crafts during center time. One of the crafts he brought home was this cute little house that Sam's mom helped them all with. It is a little milk carton that they turned into a house. Well by the time I picked him up from my mom's house to see it I found out he had been alone for a little while with my dad. Well I was told that when he came home the house had M&M's glued to the top of it. He asked my dad if he could eat them and my dad said "sure, why not!" So he did!!! I flipped out of course! He ate M&M's that I am sure were handled by quite a few people he ate the glue and some of the paper! When I asked him about it he said "yeah I ate them, and they were good." I asked him "did you eat the glue too?" He said "yep, I did." It was so cute that all I could do was laugh, however deep inside I was freaking out about the germs! LOL! You can see the missing paper in the picture where he pulled them off. I did make sure to let him know that we don't eat glue...lol...I just couldn't let it go. I know it went in one ear and out the other though...

Teacher gifts

2009-02-04T23:49:00.002-06:00

Laura came over one weekend and we made these cocoa gifts. I gave Matthew's PreK teacher the 4 pack and the assistant teacher the large ones. Laura & I had lots of fun with these and they were super easy! We have been trying to get together often and work on different projects here and there, that way we get to spend time together. Can't wait to show you the next project!

Zilker Tree

2009-02-04T23:35:00.002-06:00

We go to the Zilker tree every year and this year I got the idea to have Matthew get on Carlos' shoulders and get the tree in the background. Well I thought it turned out pretty cool so it turned into me making it our x-mas card. It kinda looks photoshopped doesn't it?! It's not!

This year's Christmas card

SNOW! 12/09/08

2009-02-04T23:14:00.003-06:00

Being that I have lived in Austin my whole life and the only time I have seen "real" snow was in '85 when something like this happens it's exciting for me and my family. We even woke Matthew up to take a look! Here are the pictures Carlos captured.

gotta love being a kid...

2009-02-04T22:57:00.004-06:00

Sorry I am still trying to catch up with pictures. These are a few that Carlos got while I was at work when his family came and spent a few days with us. Matthew and his second cousin Ella got to play at the Austin Children's Museum and the State Capital. They had so much fun playing together! Here are the pictures...

this one is my favorite...apparently he is swatting a fly...lol

Ella & Matthew

they had a lot of fun!

My baby sister...

2009-01-11T12:37:00.008-06:00

My baby sister Haylee has been dancing with a dance company called D'Ette & Company since she was three years old. It was the cutest thing ever when she first started. Since she was probably 6 months old she loved to dance to any music that was playing. Then at about 2 she went through a phase where she would strip down to her diaper and dance on and table she could, the coffee table was her favorite (sorry Haylee, I am sure you are beat red right about now). We used to tease my dad all the time and say she was gonna grow up and be a table dancer...it would make him laugh but he was worried...lol. I mean when I say she liked to dance I MEAN she loved to dance. So its no surprise that she has stayed with it this long. She made the drill team at her middle school and we were so proud, but not as proud as when she tried out last year for officer and MADE it! It was exciting 2008 for her because she also got the lead role in the Nutcracker that her dance studio performs every year! She was Clara! My mom got us all front row tickets to watch her. As I sat on that front row and watched my baby sister who had come from a little ballerina with the fluffy tutus to this beautiful young woman on this big stage, she took my breath away. Needless to say I spent most of the time crying with a huge lump in my throat. After it was over my mom turned to me and said what did you thing and I lost it...I cried like a baby. I am so proud of Haylee, so proud to say she is my sister. I hope she knows this even though I may pick on her a little to much I love her so very much and I can't wait to keep being amazed by her talent! So here are some of the pictures...

they put on two shows and in the second one haylee wasn't clara she had to do a bunch of other dances!!! so she had to learn a lot of different dances!!! the top one in white is snowflakes and the bottom in silver and purple is arabian (she had to turn a complete 360 in that position!)

Halloween '08

2009-01-10T22:29:00.007-06:00

Okay okay here are the long awaited pictures I promised and never delivered.

Matthew & Aiden always go trick or treating together in Nina's neighborhood. They just love running house to house! This year we coached Matthew not to return candy that he was allergic to but to however just say thank you...lol. It worked he didn't return any candy however the first few houses he walked away from looking into his candy bag saying "I got a rock!!" Omgsh... my child...lol he watches to much Charlie Brown apparently. It had us all laughing though that's for sure.

2nd Field Trip

2008-12-11T00:40:00.005-06:00

The beginning of November Matthew went on his second field trip to Crowe's Nest Farm in Manor, TX. I know, I know you are thinking "gosh, are they going to go to every one of his field trips?" But answer me this don't you think if you had a child that was allergic to EVERYTHING even freaking snowglobes and had to carry an epi pen around at all times that you would go to being that it is a farm with animals? Yes I think you get it now. The teacher was even prepared and had gathered all the meds and epi pen from the school nurse to take on the trip. I was so happy to see that. Matthew did not have any reactions to anything however we were there to remind him not to touch any animals, and he wanted to. So we know that had we not gone he would have touched the pigs and the horses, probably not a good idea for Matthew! He had such a good time on this one, as did we. We loved seeing his face light up. We saw some interesting animals, how a cow is milked, we went on a hayride then ate lunch. It was lots of fun, Matthew is still telling people (anyone that will listen) about it. So cute. Carlos and I can't wait for the next field trip...lol.

sorry...

2008-12-10T23:53:00.001-06:00

Sorry I have neglected my blog again. I have just had so much going on as most of you know. I have been having a hard time personally, and Matthew has been so sick this month. He had a horrible virus 2 weeks ago, then he was sick again over Thanksgiving. Poor thing ever since he started school I can't keep him well. He had 103 fever for 5 days over the Thanksgiving holiday. I got him to the doctor and found out he had bronchitis which in turn caused his asthma to be uncontrollable so he was on a oral steroid. He was on this same steroid for his asthma a lot when he was little so I knew what to expect. When he is on it he can't get full. The second night Carlos had to go out and get him another meal after we had already had dinner! He just can't get full! Well, he is finally doing better but we are now forced to have him on his breathing machine every single day with a steroid in it for the rest of the winter! Not fun at all for any of us concerned! It's the kind of thing we get used to with Bubble Boy though..hee hee. Poor Baby!

He is finally feeling better and that's great. I have quite a few pictures to share from events that happened in November and a few so far from December so enjoy.

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-10-29T16:28:00.005-05:00

Today is my Birthday, I had a great morning. Had surprises from friends, my mom set her alarm and text me at 1:56am (the time I was born) to tell me Happy Birthday and that she loves me (the most of course, she didn't come out and say it, but I always know.) I picked up Matthew from school which made him happy and in turn makes me happy. Then we went to dinner at the Iron Cactus in the Galleria mall. That was the first time we had eaten there. Mine was really good, then they brought me a piece of cake (that was wonderful) and sang Happy Birthday to me, and guess what I didn't cry. I was also blessed with some great gifts throughout the day! All in all it was a great birthday! Thank you to everyone!!!

Bubble Boy...

2008-10-29T16:11:00.002-05:00

This is nothing compared to the pictures my Mom got of him!!!

So the day after Matthew's birthday (Monday the 20th) I got a call ten minutes before two from the nurses office at Matthew's school. Mind you I have the Nurse's office programed in my phone with a special ring so that I know who it is without having to look. I have already been called numerous times for various things (3 times the first week and Matthew only went 3 days the first week!!!) Anyway, when I answered it was the nurses "helper" (sorry I am not sure what her actual title is) and she was telling me that when Matthew woke up from his nap he had an allergic reaction to something and his eyes were swollen completely shut. She said she had given him benedryl at 1:20 and it had helped a little. Then she started telling me that the reason she was just getting in touch with me was because she had accidentally called another Matthew Martinez's mom and when that mom got there to pick her son up, she said "that's not my son!" The other boy is in third grade and this is not the first time that they have been mixed up. It doesn't make me feel very good about that, but I do know mistakes happen, as long as it's not life threatening I will try and overlook it. So since it was 10 till 2 my mom was already there to get him and she called me as soon as she got in the car with him. She said she had NEVER seen him look this bad before. She said she was almost in tears. Not what I wanted to hear. Well we continued the benedryl and it wasn't doing anything, so the next day my mom said she thought it might be a sinus infection and when my mom worries that's when I get worried. So I took him to the doctor and that's exactly what it was!!!! I couldn't believe it, but after 2 doses of antibiotics he was back to normal! It was so hard to look at him that way, he didn't even look like Matthew. Here are some pictures and these are once he looked a LOT BETTER!

2008-10-22T23:05:00.004-05:00

Sunday--- Matthew's actual birthday!

He woke up at 8 am (I really thought he'd sleep longer after such a party, but no) and he just couldn't wait to get back to all of his new toys! We went and ate at Maudie's with Carlos' family and then went to Garden Ridge. After that we had to say goodbye to them and then Haylee & my Mom came over. We counted down until 6:23pm (the time he was born) then sang Matthew Happy Birthday. He liked that. We just all spent the rest of the night playing with him. I can't believe he's 5 years old!!!!

We saved one gift that he really wanted for the day of his birthday. It was the batmobile with the batpod inside. It is pretty massive. I feel like we need a bigger house for all the toys!!!

2008-10-22T23:04:00.010-05:00

i made the pennant banner that is behind my granny, I really liked how it turned out

he is still in our tree for halloween

pumpkin toss

mummy wrap

Ghost bowling

Yes that is really a pinata!

The big day! It was finally here, at 8am Matthew was saying "Mommee, Mommee, Mommee wake up...do you know who's party it is today?" If I hadn't been so tired from being up till 3am then I would have laughed out loud. So, I gradually pulled myself out of the bed and begun. Thank God at the last minute my Mom & Sister came to help me, they were a HUGE help! I have to also say thanks to Desiree for her help and Laura Young as well. Carlos' mom needs a big thanks for running my last minute errand to get the balloons blown up and for that pinata. I have NEVER seen such a thing in my life! It looked so real. Twice it scared me as I walked out my front door because they had put it there before they hung it in the tree. My mom didn't want us to hit it. She wanted us to keep it for a decoration every year.

So, anyway the party finally started only 3 people out of everyone I invited weren't able to make it, so that was great! We had a full backyard and kids played 3 games that were directed by my sister haylee (the ladybug) and her friend emilee (the bee). The games were Pumpkin toss, Ghost bowling & Mummy Wrap. Now, I initially had prizes for the pumpkin toss and the ghost bowling but my child won both of them, so no prizes were given. The kids didn't care, we let them play them again while the parents finished up eating and moved to the front yard for the pinata. The pinata as you can see was HUGE and it took forever to break. Every kid took a hit at it then we had to get the older kids out there. My sister, her friend, my brother & carlos' brother. Finally it resulted in a few guys pulling it apart and pouring out the candy for the kids who were tired of waiting. There was a total of $40 in candy in that thing and we could have still kept filling it!

Then inside for cake and presents. Of course I cried during the Happy Birthday song, like I always do. I don't think anyone noticed though..ha ha. Then it was over and the kids started to file out with the arms full of party favors! They got the Frankenstein filled box, a motorized bubble gun, and boys got lighted swords and the girls got fairy wands. They were so happy with the party favors that they weren't even mad to leave.

Carlos & I finally had our first meal of the day at 11pm. Carlos got a lot of compliments on his food which was great! He was really nervous about using his new grill. I agreed that the food was great once I finally got to eat. I even had a piece of cake which was also really yummy. Then we hit the sac, I think all three of us were asleep within minutes.

Matthew's 1st field trip!

2008-10-22T23:03:00.007-05:00

The whole class at the end of the trip.

Lunch at Pickle Park

Love this one!

Gosh doesn't he look old! My baby....

Running through the maze!

Now next on the List to tell you was that this past Friday Matthew had his first field trip to the Pumpkin Patch and of course Carlos and I were both there. Of course we both had our cameras too. Matthew had a great time, his whole class did. It started with the exciting bus ride. Matthew was so excited about the bus that every bus he saw on the way to school that morning he said "Mommee is that the bus I am riding on today?"

So all the parents followed the bus to the pumpkin patch. The first thing they did was run through the maze that was built with bales of hay. They loved doing that! I think Matthew ran through it 4 times. Then they got to go inside the building and see the Giant singing pumpkin, Matthew has seen it quite a few times in years before. After that they each got to pick out a pumpkin.

We then left the p. patch and headed to Pickle Park. The kids ate their lunches then played on the playground. Being that Matthew's birthday was on Sunday I made and brought cupcakes for his class. The whole class sang Happy Birthday to him, it was too cute! Matthew had a blast all day. Then when I picked him up from school, once we were in the car and I started to drive home he said to me "Mom, thank you for bringing cupcakes to my class." (He didn't know I was doing that) It melted my heart when he said that to me. I love my little boy so much!

2008-10-22T23:02:00.004-05:00

Okay, let me begin with sorry it's been so long since I posted. As you all know I make a huge deal out of Matthew's birthdays. I have always remembered how fun my mom made sure mine were, so I like to carry that on to my child. Sometimes Carlos is reluctant at first, then as the party approaches he wants it to be just as big! He never had a birthday party as a child, so it's important to him to that our kids do. Anyway, I have been planning this Halloween birthday party since his 4th birthday party, yes for a YEAR. That's how I like to do things.

Now before I tell you how the party went let me tell you about the days leading up to it. Two weeks before his party I was decorating and I was hanging a scene setter in the dining room (you will see it in the cake pictures, it's on the wall behind matthew) and this took me quite some time, because I was doing it alone. However after it was all said and done, I was happy with it. Then the next day was Monday and it was National Night Out which Target is a big sponsor of so of course our family headed out right after work. So by the time we got home it was late and hot in the house because no one had been home for longer than 20 minutes all day. When we walked in we saw that the entire (and it was long!) scene setter was on the floor. Carlos laughed and nothing good came out of my mouth then Matthew....

He started with "who did this? who took this down?"
I stated that it had fallen, as I was gritting my teeth
Matthew- "Great now we can't have the party, cancel it, just cancel it!"
I stood there with my mouth open and told him to go upstairs to take a bath.
All the way up the stairs "just cancel the party mom, cancel it"
The whole time he is saying this to me like an adult!
I told him to wait for me in my bathroom and I started telling Carlos what he was saying.
Then as I got near the bathroom he was in I could still hear him saying "just cancel the party, cancel it"
I just couldn't believe it!

Then the next day I told my mom the story, so when she picked him up she asked him if it was true that he wanted to cancel his party. He said "YES, because mom put up the picture of the trees with no leaves and it fell, so now we can't have the party"
When I got home she told me all of this and so I looked at Matthew and asked him "Matthew do you know what cancel means?"
Matthew- "No..."
We all busted out laughing...
My little boy.

2008-09-16T18:09:00.004-05:00

My boss sent me an article to read about this woman with food allergies and how hard it can be to eat out. So I read the whole thing obviously because I relate, by having a child that we call "Bubble Boy". Well after reading the entire article I noticed that there were comments at the bottom, so I started reading those. One woman left a comment that made a lot of people angry....including me. Read below (then I will state my feelings)

AMANDA:
My daughter entered kindergarten this year and the school has repeatedly sent home "requests" to not send any nut containing foods to school because of the children with allergies. So what, my daughter is supposed to suffer? She's a great eater and will try anything you put in front of her but when it comes to sandwiches she is addicted to pb&j. So why deprive her because someone else's kid has a problem. That's encroaching our civil liberties. Luckily, after speaking with the local school board I found out that they cannot prevent anyone from bringing pb&j to school so of course we pack it everyday. If your child has an allergy - YOU DEAL WITH IT. Don't expect my child to change her habits because your child has a problem.

TOM:
Amanda, I hope your daughter grows up to be less self-centered and selfish than you.

My guess is that if this was your precious child, you'd expect the entire world to turn upside down. Actually I know it since you've already defined her "right" to eat peanut butter as a civil liberty. Unbelievable.

Oh well, thank goodness your daughter can get pb&j. If someone else dies, well that's just life.

ROB:
Wow great attitiude Amanda ,no wonder people don't get along anymore , that the value of peanut butter is far greater than human life

CRISTINA:
As a response to those ignorant people who are not faced with any allergic repurcussions in their lives, will never get it until they go through it either with their children or develop something on their own as their immune system changes every so often. It is ridiculous for me to understand how people choose to think that those "allergic" individuals becomes a hassle for those that are not allergic. Children in particular that are in school with a peanut allergy as an example could face death if unaware they even have this allergy. Schools should really be considered "peanut-free". Who cares about a pb&j sandwhich anyway, it's overrated! I have no tolerance for those of you who are IGNORANT to NOT understand the repercussions involved if a child in particular should come into contact with milk, peanut, shellfish, etc. I encourage all parents to undergo allergy testing to be more cautious

JESSICA:
Amanda, My son does not have any allergies however attends a school that is peanut free...you need to understand there are alternatives to PB, like soy butter, takes exactly the same and the kids love it just as much as the real thing...they can not make you stop making your daughter pb&j but you need to be mature about the issue and realize that not only is this a food allergy it is one of the very few airborne ones that can have the same effect as the child eating it, just by your daughter eating and possibly playing with a child with an allergy you have put them at risk...you should respect the "requests" your daughters school is making.

LISA:

Amanda,

So you would rather have another child end up in the hospital or die, rather than deprive your little girl of a sandwich? That's teaching her how to get along with others.

there were many more...but I will stop there....

Okay as you can see that amanda woman pissed quite a few people off. Now, I can definitely understand her frustration. It is very hard for people to understand something they don't know. Until we came across all of Matthew's issues we didn't understand either. I do however think it is very sad of the woman to be so inconsiderate, we are talking about small children here, not teenagers or adults. She stated that it is their problem not hers or her daughters, but what if it was her daughter that was eating a pb&j sandwich and had peanut butter on her hands then touched a child that is allergic and that child stops being able to breathe. Then who's problem is it? My child is "trained" he can recite the list of things he is allergic to just as well as I can, and I have worked really hard at making sure of it. I can protect him when he is with me, but obviously I can not be with him at school all day. It scares me to think of all the things that could go wrong. Matthew's allergies have seemed to get worse the more he is exposed, and we find new things all the time that he is allergic to. I have to send his nap time blankets in a huge Ziploc bag because he is highly allergic to Gain laundry detergent and I wouldn't be able to know if someone else washes their kids blankets in that. I guess I am just rambling, but my point is that the woman who is choosing to bitch about not being able to send her child to school with a pb & j (even though her sorry self does it anyway) should be grateful that she is lucky enough to have a healthy child that can consume anything she chooses. Matthew loved peanut butter as a baby (before I realized that he was allergic, scary I know...cause I gave him pb crackers all of the time) and now he will never know the joy of eating a Reese's pb cup. It is very hard to accommodate so many allergies and stressful at times. What do you feed a child for breakfast when they are allergic to Milk, Eggs, Soy, Wheat? Poor thing eats a lot of bacon or dry cereal. I also think it is sad for Matthew to have to question most of the foods he is about to eat. "Mom am I allergic to mayonnaise?" "Yes, Matthew but not miracle whip." "Mom, does this candy have peanuts in it?" Okay I guess you get the point...

I remember...

2008-09-11T23:34:00.004-05:00

After I lost Madee I went to the cemetery every single day for a year. I took it very seriously, that's the only thing I thought about every day, how to make sure I worked in 45 minutes to an hour and a half of time everyday to spend at the cemetery. There was even one day at work that I had a huge crying breakdown because the other manager had not shown up from his meeting so that I could leave, and it was getting late, I drove as fast as I could to get there. I even drove off on the side of the road that day where traffic had stopped, all I cared about was making it there, and I did.

Anyhow, today is 6 years ago since her funeral. About a week after the funeral my mom and I were at the cemetery watering the grass we had just planted, when a man by the name of Harold Wettig drove up. He got out of the car and started to walk toward us. He asked "Are you the family of 'Sugar Puddin'?" We were a little taken back and holding back the tears we said "yes we are." He then handed me a envelope, I opened it and inside were these two pictures that he had taken the day after Madee's funeral. I was so grateful, we hadn't thought to take pictures of all the flowers (well what we left at the cemetery, we brought many home as well it was amazing how many people showed love for Madee.) Plus there are a lot of things that I don't remember that went on during all of this. Most of the events I just remember bits and pieces, which is for the best. The parts I do remember I wish I didn't.

Well, back on track, Harold told us that it is just something he does for families after someone is buried at that cemetery. His wife is buried there too. He also gave me a copy of a story that was written about him in the newspaper. I will never forget his kindness and I am forever grateful for the pictures he captured.

In ten minutes this day will be officially over and tomorrow will be another day I wake up without my baby...

The finished project!

2008-09-09T22:46:00.004-05:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this picture. Here is the first ever project that Matthew turned in to school. I had fun making it, I just wish I could have had a bigger piece of paper cause I could have done so much more to it. We went to back to school night tonight, it was really cute to see the things Matthew has made in class so far.

Pictures from today...

2008-09-06T22:22:00.005-05:00

Thank you to my friends and family who still remember, that means so much to me!

We always write a message to madee on balloons and then let them go to her. This was something we did at her funeral with tons of pink balloons.

10 Years!

2008-09-05T09:16:00.002-05:00

Today is Carlos & my 10 year anniversary! We haven't celebrated it for the past 5 years because of what tomorrow is. It's a little hard to try and be happy during this part of the year. However, I couldn't let this day pass without ackknowledging it. 10 years is huge! We have been through a LOT together, happy, sad, the unthinkable. We have become stronger most people don't make it through losing a child, it tears their relationship apart. Instead it made us stronger, it made us realize the importance of each day. That's why we don't like to do anything without Matthew. Most parents can't wait to have a night out alone, we never feel that way. That's why I still love him so much, he loves being a parent as much as I do.

It always seems to come back...

2008-09-04T13:56:00.003-05:00

It's here again....September...gosh I hate September....I can't think of one thing, not one that I like about it. It is the hardest time of the year for me. Even though in 2 1/2 days it will be 6 years since I experienced the WORST day of my life, some how every year feels like it just happened when the day rolls around. I never believed that I would make it 6 years without my baby girl, *sigh* I never thought I'd make it through the night without her. If anyone wonders how I have or is thinking to them self right now "I couldn't do it", well I never thought I would be able to either. I quickly learned that when something like that happens to you no one comes and gives you a choice. I didn't get to pick 6 years ago to stop living my life, well I guess in a sense I could have, but you know what I mean. My only option for the last 6 years has been to wake up every morning and breathe, so that's what I do. I get up every morning take in a deep breath kiss my little boy (don't dare tell him I said little) I some how make it through the rest of the day get in bed at night and kiss that little boy again, knowing how lucky I truly am to have such a wonderful miracle. Then it's starts over again. It is still very hard and very painful...I think about things that I miss out on everyday. Madee would have started 1st grade this year!

Kiss your babies every day, make sure you always tell them you love them (even if it's when they are sleeping.) Life is unexpected and unfair a lot of the time, be sure not to regret the time you have.

A project sent home on the first day of Pre-K?!?!

2008-08-26T16:18:00.003-05:00

Okay so Matthew got sent home with a project on the first day of school and when is it due....in five days! Now let me tell you a little about this project. It is to be on a piece of poster board that is a little larger than a legal size piece of paper. And it is basically supposed to be a collage about him. With pictures of him and his family and things he likes. The paper said in big bold letters BE CREATIVE! Oh, no problem...I looked at Matthew and said..."Oh we have this in the bag!" Ha Ha Ha! I think I am gonna like pre-k! It is going to bring out even more of my creativity...ha ha ha! I haven't started it yet believe it or not, but let me tell you I already have lots of ideas! I will take a picture of the finished project and post it this weekend. So stay tuned!

Matthew had a great first day!!!

2008-08-25T15:26:00.002-05:00

Matthew was so excited to tell us all about his first day of school. He told us he had a lot of fun. He told us over and over thank you for taking him and thank you for picking up. He did ask us what we did when we left him at school. Ha Ha he wanted to make sure that we weren't out having fun with out him. It was really cute.

Matthew's First Day of School

2008-08-25T10:54:00.003-05:00

In the car on the way there.

In front of the school.

Matthew started Pre-K today. He has been really excited about this! He went to bed at 9pm last night (which everyone knows is really early for Matthew.) We woke him up at 6:45 this morning and he said he still wanted to sleep...just like his parents...ha ha. I took him in the bathroom and told him to brush his teeth and before he stuck the toothbrush in this was the conversation him and I had:

Me- "Are you excited to go to school today?"

Matthew- "Are you gonna leave me all by myself?" in a whinning voice.

Me-"Baby, Mommee & Daddee can't stay with you at school"

Matthew in a scared voice almost crying "so you are gonna leave me all alone?"

Me- "No baby, the teacher will be there and all of your new friends in your class"

then he said nothing else and started brushing. Oh man at that point I was so worried. I got him dressed and sent him downstairs to his Daddee to eat. He ate his breakfast and we set out to leave. He was really excited after that. We got to the school and he was all smiles. When he got to the classroom he was so excited to see that he could play playdoh right off. He has been in love with playdoh ever since he got it for his birthday this past year. So he put his backpack and lunch box away and then sat down to play. He was so in to playing that he didn't care if we were there or not. We kissed him and said bye, I had to drag Carlos out believe it or not. I had to leave I didn't want Matthew to see me cry. We had to stop at the nurse to give his meds. And then when we got to the car I balled like a big baby. And ever since we have been nothing but talking about him and saying what is he doing now. (We have a schedule so we know...lol) Well here are some pictures we took and in about 15 minutes we get to go and get him!

The Circus 2008

2008-08-24T01:37:00.004-05:00

Matthew told Carlos & I that he was going to the circus for about a week so finally a few days before opening night I bought the three of us tickets. Carlos didn't go last year so he said he wanted to this year. We had a really fun time and had great seats. Before the show started they let everyone walk down to the middle of the arena and meet the stars and some animals. Matthew got to see an elephant up close eat whole apples and even PAINT two pictures! That was really cool. We love taking Matthew to things like this just to see his face light up with excitement makes it all worth it.

Melissa's 30th Birthday party

2008-08-24T01:22:00.002-05:00

The first weekend in August we went to San Antonio for his cousin Melissa's 30th Birthday party. The Theme was Strawberry Shortcake just like she had when she was little. It was very cute! They had a Big Strawberry Shortcake pinata. Here are a few pictures we captured. We all had a fun time!

My Aunt Polly's Birthday Party

2008-08-24T01:09:00.006-05:00

Sisters

The Birthday Girl!

Two weekends ago we spent Saturday night at my Aunt Polly's Birthday Party. Here are some of the pictures we took outside. We always have a great time when we are all together like this.

Holy VINTAGE shirt Batman!

2008-08-24T00:48:00.005-05:00

This shirt that Matthew sleeps in is at least 19 years old. If it wasn't so thin we would let him wear it outside of the house. Ha Ha! It was my brother Dane's tshirt and then my brother Deven wore it as well and some how I have ended up with it. My mom obviously gave it to me before she knew Dane was having a boy, otherwise it would have gone to my nephew Aiden. Matthew has really gotten in to Batman though, so he enjoys wearing it. I think it's awesome to own a shirt so old and it is still loved so much!

So maybe it really is my fault....sorry Matthew....

2008-08-22T11:07:00.002-05:00

http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/news/view.aspx?id=617477&cen=HC:%20Asthma&pd=7/15/2008

If I had only known that eating nuts & peanut butter would have done such a thing to my child, I never would have eaten them while I was pregnant with him. It's not like I had a whole lot of options as to what would stay down though....sigh...sorry Matthew.

2008-08-13T09:58:00.002-05:00

Okay so last night before Carlos got home from work Matthew and I started our nighttime story a little early. I did so because I had a different kind of book for him. Instead of me reading him a story, I wanted to fill out a book that he got on his first birthday from his Aunt that lives in Chicago. I had held on to the book so long because I wanted him to be old enough to participate in it. The book is called "A Book About Me!" it's a Dr. Seuss book. So Matthew and I began filling it out...it was silly stuff of course. Things like do you eat like a horse or a bird? How many teeth do you have on top and how many on bottom...how many windows does your house have...anyway you get the point. So Matthew and I were having a good time filling it out and Carlos got home. So then he was joining in on the fun. When all the sudden I get to the page that says "what do you want to be when you grow up____?" So I read the question out loud and Matthew immediately responded "Frankenstein" we giggled and I said well let's read some of the examples...and below it had things like "fireman, baseball player, doctor, nurse, and so on and all the sudden I read out loud BURGLAR! Carlos' eyes got huge, and he said with a stunned voice "It doesn't say that?!" I busted out laughing and said "Uh...yes it does!" Can you believe that?!?!? My son's Dr. Seuss book is actually encouraging kids to be a burglar when they grow up! Carlos and I just couldn't get over it, he stared at the book for a few moments and just laughed then said "you need to send that in to Jay Leno" ha ha ha....we put that book away after that...I decided that was enough for one night...

2008-08-10T20:57:00.004-05:00

Matthew had his last basketball game last Saturday. He played his best game yet. He made 7 baskets during that game. He beat his own record! Carlos & I were so proud! After the game he got his medal, he now has two. He is already asking me when soccer starts. He hates the breaks in between the sports.

2008-07-29T12:54:00.006-05:00

Okay so this was just too cute of a story I had to share...

Well, I had to take Matthew to the doctor about a week ago because he was having these weird blisters pop up on him. He had one on he knee and after Carlos and I popped it, it got really big and wasn't healing very well. Then he had what I assumed was his eczema all over his body that wasn't clearing up either. So anyway him and I went to see Dr. Mouser and he was such a big boy he did not cry on the way there even though I had to keep reassuring him that he was not going to get a shot.

So once we were called back and the nurse was in the room asking me what was going on (which just happens to be the same nurse when I used to go to Dr. Mouser as a little girl.) So I went through the whole thing with her and:

she said "Okay, well is Matthew allergic to any medications that you know of?"

I responded "No, not any that I know of."

and that's when Matthew leaned toward me and whispered "Mom, I am allergic to peanuts."

Omg...it was the cutest thing...he said it so calm and discreet...as if he was like...uh mom have you forgot?

I giggled as did the nurse...then she said "Wow, that is impressive that he knows that."

I giggled again and said "Oh this is coming from the child who gave back any candy with nuts that was given to him at Halloween."

Then she was really tickled. I then said oh he knows everything he is allergic to, we have drilled it in to him.

OHHHHH...... I almost forgot to mention...he had a form of staph!!!! Which was apparently not a bad case..not mersa! And don't worry it wasn't contagious...and he was on a strong antibiotic and it's cleared up now. So he's good.

B-Ball

2008-07-18T20:43:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pics from Matthew's basketball game. He sure loves playing sports. His first basketball game this season he had some skin issues. As you can see he is scratching in a few of the pics. When we walked into the gym it smelled really strong of some kind of cleaner and he broke out into hives right away. Luckily knowing my child very well I had a benedryl in my pocket and gave it right to him (we don't go anywhere with out them.) He refused to leave and played through the whole game even though he had trouble seeing through his swollen eyes! The first game the team made 5 baskets (three were Matthew!) He was so proud of himself, it was too cute! I will try and take a video at tomorrow's game.

2008-07-17T11:29:00.003-05:00

Matthew had a great Easter. He loved dying the eggs at our new house. And of course who doesn't love waking up to all the goodies the Easter Bunny left! Then hunting the eggs is always a treat! No one left the park with out confetti in their hair...well except Granny..lol.

2008 Kite Festival

2008-07-17T11:16:00.002-05:00

I know these next few posts are a little older...but wanted to share the pictures.

This is Matthew and his friend Blake at the Kite "fester" (that's how Matthew used to say it). They had a really good time flying there kites. This was in March.

2008-07-14T21:47:00.003-05:00

Isabella loved opening her presents, she was hopping up and down after each one! It was so cute. Check out the presents in the last picture those are from me! :)

In the first picture you can see her standing on her toes!

Cake Time! Check out Matthew itching his nose in the bottom one...lol.

2008-07-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

Isabella waiting to hit the pinata & Matthew hitting it.

This weekend....

2008-07-14T21:31:00.003-05:00

We took a trip south this weekend, all the way down to Harlingen, TX. We went down for Isabella's 3rd birthday party. Matthew had a blast of course! The drive went so much smoother in the new ride. The dvd player kept Matthew occupied which was wonderful. We partied on Saturday "Snow White" style, then went to Schlitterbahn on the beach (Padre Island) on Sunday. I of course am the most sunburned. Matthew had the best time playing with his cousin Isabella, now that she is three they really got along great! He didn't want to leave her. Here are some pictures from her party.

2008-07-09T15:49:00.004-05:00

We have had some big life changes so far this year....

We moved

I sold the focus and bought an SUV

I guess that is just two things so far, but they were pretty major for us. Matthew was reluctant at first about both changes. How could we blame him. The house we moved from we had been in since he was 6 months old and I bought the focus when I was pregnant with Madee. So he didn't know any other way of life. It took a while with the move for weeks he just kept telling me he wanted to go back to the old house and he kept asking "why does someone else live in our old house, it's ours?" Finally once he realized how much he liked the new bigger house he stopped asking. He does still refer to it as the "new house". It's cute.

The car didn't take as long, I think he really enjoys being up high and being able to see everything in the Escape. Not to mention how happy he sees it made his mommee. The night they handed me the keys Matthew threw his hands up in the air to hug me and shouted "Mom we bought you a new car!" It was the cutest! Not to mention he really likes it now, since I had an overhead dvd player installed in it this past weekend for him. He wants to watch a movie just going to Nina's house which is only 1 mile down the road! Which in case anyone is wondering is a NO!

Well, I am sure the second half of 2008 will bring more exciting and wonderful things...so stay tuned...

I hope I can keep this up...

2008-07-09T15:34:00.003-05:00

I am starting this blog for our little family in hopes of keeping it updated so that everyone can kinda know whats going on in our lives. As Matthew keeps getting older I have started to realize that most of his accomplishments and fun things he is up to don't get shared enough. Might I add is a shame because he can say and do a LOT of funny things. So, I hope this will help us to keep in better touch with everyone throughout the year. Please feel free to leave comments.