Kiddos...

Caleb has had his first sleepover at our house this weekend (2 cousins and a friend)! The 4 kids stayed up until 1:00am giggling & chatting over a tournament of MarioKart games. Caleb's usual bedtime is 8:30pm or at the latest 9:00pm -- but he begged me if he could stay up late w/his guests, so I couldn't say no. It was a long night, with 4 times the request for "something to drink" and 4 times the request for "a bowl of cereal"... but Carlos and I survived!! What matters is that Caleb is having such a great time with his guests. He's such a social child -- only 7 years old, and yet very capable of keeping up with two 10-year-olds and one 11-year-old. :)

Little Boys They Will Be

It's difficult watching your little one grow up -- a bittersweet part of life. With everything that had been going on lately w/our first pregnancy that we lost at 9 weeks, my maternal instincts were amplified... all I can think about now is this constant desire to "nest". Carlos and I together have slowly overcome a very difficult time in our lives, but we are hopeful that God is going to bless us with another baby very soon. Our family and friends have been so unbelievably supportive throughout this time, reminding us what great people we are blessed to have in our lives. But Carlos and Caleb have been my strength during the course of the past 3 weeks while I was enduring much emotional and physical pain and stress. This is what family is all about. So once again, my maternal instincts have me shuffling through Caleb's baby pictures and video clips (with him in my lap giggling the whole time)! My little guy is growing up... attitude attached. I could only share these with you, family, to remind you that very soon (God willing), we will hear this all over again...

Drastic Improvements

We're not completely finished with setting up the former dining area (soon to be a second living area) but I loved these pics so much that I just had to share. Can't wait to have family over again :)

Before & After

The "pineapple express" light fixture just wasn't "juicy" enough for our taste. So we decided to add a more subtle focal point for this space.

Before & After

And of course that dining table is not ours... not our taste either. The previous home owner is soon to be picking that up [while we've been temporary storage.]

I just can't wait for the finishing touches that's going to tone down the living room! It's going to be great!!

Caleb's room is almost finished -- he loves what we've done with it so far, so I'm in no hurry to add a little more decor. But overall, things are turning out well with our projects thus far!

Keeping Up

An update to the recent post... Caleb's team won 21-6! Our boys played their hearts out this past Saturday against the Spurs and deserved the big win. I'm not sure if Caleb stepped it up because his best friend Ryan was there to support him, but he played to his best ability! He ended up with 2 very sneaky steals, 2 points, and excellent defense (even to the point of aggravating his opponent). The Pistons just needed the challenge -- now they're off to a better ball game.

Change of Pace

So this is it... a whole new ball game. With Gigantor and mini Lebron James on the opposing team, Caleb's basketball team had very little chance of beating them yesterday during their first game. I have to admit we are not used to watching our boys (most of the same ones from Caleb's basketball team in the Edinburg league) begin a game with startled looks on their faces. But as soon as they noticed this change of pace as the opposing team's point guard quickly scored 8 points, the "Pistons" stepped it up.... BIG time! Caleb has lots to work on, compared to the new league's advanced players. Granted, he's been placed in the 7-8 year old division (he's still 6 years old!) But this new challenge is sure to get him adjusted to a faster-paced basketball game and more advanced opponents. It was difficult watching his team lose 23-16, but we know in the end, this adjustment is going to pay off.

Regardless, we are sooooo proud that he was able to recognize that he needed to step it up. But I assure you, Daddy is with him outside this evening for some more practice!