Lindsey's First Day of School

Flashback to Lindsey's first day of school.  I'm talking way back when she was 4 and starting pre-school. She cried and cried for about a month. It was tough for both of us. For her because it was a new environment, new kids to play with, new everything. Some kids don't like change, she was one of them. For me it was difficult just watching her walk into that classroom not knowing anyone, looking around to see if she saw a familiar face, then realizing that these were all new faces and not the same kids she played with in child care since she was 7 months old. It was time to line up and I can tell seh's not quite digging her new surroundings as she starts to tear up and look towards me. I reassure her with a "it's okay sweetie, mommy will be here later to pick you up, okay? you'll have lots of fun with your new friends". But I don't think she heard me through her loud cries of "I wanna go home". We went through this for about a month until she finally adjusted.


Now fast forward and here is my baby on her first day at a new school starting the 7th grade. Where or where does the time go? Gone are the days where she is reaching out to me, crying out for me, and begging me to take her home. Nope, these days she wants independence, girl time with her friends, and more opportunities to be on her own. Ughhhhhhh, it's starting already......


I couldn't help but take a picture of Lindsey by her locker. Somehow they seem much smaller compared to when I was in school. Mine was twice the size as hers.

Camping Trip

I've finally made the time to post a few pictures of our family camping trip a couple weeks ago. Between work and the girls starting school last week it was hard to find some quiet time to sit down and go over the hundreds of pictures I took. But here are a few that I really liked and wanted to share.

I know I'm picky!

Obviously I can't seem to make up my mind with which background I want to go with. I like florals but I don't want it to look too "busy" if you know what I mean. I also love the water or anything that has that paradise or tropical theme. I think I like Hot Bliggity Blog more than The Cutest Blog on the Block. Their designs are much prettier.

Missing Mom

Mom has been vacationing in Miami for almost 3 weeks now. The kids miss her, I miss her. She arrives sometime this Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately we'll only have a short time to spend with her to hear all about her trip before we leave for camping the next morning.


My parents and Gonzalo are considering relocating to Miami. The weather really agrees with my mom and as my brother puts it "her later years should be spent with her family". I have several cousins who live there and almost every year my aunts and uncles go there to visit. She's lucky if she gets to see her siblings once every two years. I notice she gets lonely for them. I'd love for my mom to be around her family more but the selfish side of me can't stomach the possibility of her moving away. Unfortunately we can't relocate because we feel our jobs are stable at the moment and the last thing we'd want to do is rock the boat. Other reasons are the kids school and a few other factors that come to play. Mom and dad would have to sell their home and get rid of all the junk my dad has accumulated. I'd say about 40 years worth. I know thats a task that weighs heavily on his shoulders as we are always on his case about cleaning out the garage. I bet he can Ebay a bunch of stuff and make a small fortune. He just has a hard time letting go of his "stuff". I know it drives my mom nuts . Silly man. We'll have to see what happens.

From Refugio Beach to Solvang

I remember around mid-Summer Ernie expressed regret that we couldn't do more with the kids because of work committments. Work has been so busy for him and there have been a lot of changes going on in my job making it difficult to take more time off during the kid's Summer break. But I think the kids have had one of the best breaks ever. Last month we took the kids to Legoland and Aliso Beach for the weekend and today we took them to Refugio State Beach near Santa Barbara and then to Solvang. Next week we'll be camping for a week up in the Sequioas. Can't wait. Here are some pictures from our trip today. The beach was beautiful but it was a little cold and breezy which made the water less attractive. The kids didn't mind. Junior, my 6 year old nephew wasted no time in jumping in. His sister Karen and the girls were a little slow in approaching the water but eventually made contact. Lindsey caught a slight cold but didn't let that stop her from enjoying herself. After a few hours at the beach we took a drive to Solvang a little Danish-themed city in the Santa Barbara area. Did some wine-tasting with my brother-in-law Kelvin and did some window shopping with my mother-in-law. Everywhere you turned there were bakeries, wineries and candy stores. Lots of yummies and goodies. I'd love to go back again and stay the weekend. Here are some pictures I took.