Christmas Vacation

Chris and I have 3 weeks off during the Holidays ~ that is the one good thing about working in education. We opted to "keep" Kate for 2 out of the 3 weeks to spend some quality time with her. Next week she is back to the sitter's so we can get some things done around the house. Though it is very tiring dealing with a 21-month old we remind ourselves that she will only be this age one time and want to take advantage of this time with her. It is true what "they say", they do grow up way too fast! The good moments definitely supersede the difficult toddler-hood moments...here are a few:

Reading a wine catalog with daddy ~ awwww, how sweet!




Emulating mom at what I do best, shop and talk...



"so, like, I was telling you, she said that he said..."

Merry Christmas!

Kate enjoyed her 2nd Christmas. She still does not "get" what is going on, but she sure did have fun opening all of her gifts! Her grandparents went crazy and she got way too many toys and books, but that is their job and it saves Chris and I money! Nana and Papa got her an outdoor slide and golf clubs for their house. She also got clothes, shoes, and a baby (which is so cute to watch her feed and change her baby). Tata Tony gave her good ol' money! Bum Bum got her a slide and bunch of really cool and educational Melissa and Doug puzzles (which, of course I picked out). Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike went crazy with toys, books and her very own Pottery Barn Kids chair. Her great-grandma gave her a Pillow Pet, which I think I love more than Kate does.

I think next year we may be able to pull out Elf on the Shelf and she will understand it a bit more. Maybe she won't be as naughty and break stuff or hit the dog if she know the elf is watching her; ha, yeah right! Speaking of breaking stuff, she was messing with my bookshelf and all my picture frames, candlesticks and Christmas stuff came tumbling down on her head. Phew, thanks goodness she was not hurt. Can't say the same for Joseph and baby Jesus...even super glue can't help put them back together. Darn kid. She also broke Tata Tony's mug before he opened the gift. Kate also enjoys using her chalk to write on walls and furniture. What fun it is to stay home with Kate during our break! But seriously, we know she is a toddler and our grateful that she is happy, healthy and FULL OF ENERGY! We keep telling ourselves this, over, and over, and over...



Notice what is on in the background? "A Christmas Story"


Since this blog is dedicated to Kate I want to let her know that she is the BEST present I have ever received. Her laughs, smiles, and even her naughty toddler antics is what makes my life complete. Merry Christmas Kate! I love you so so so so much!

Christmas Card

We decided to send this as our Christmas card because, let's face it, we are not the perfect family that you see in Holiday cards. Chris hates taking pictures. As does Kate. She wanted to run and do what she wanted to do. So why not send out what our family is really like, right? Well, imperfect as we are I would not have it any other way. I love my Chris and Kate!

Santa Claus

Kate went to visit jolly Saint Nick today. Not so jolly was Miss Kate. She was in a GREAT mood until I put her on Santa's lap. What a mean mommy I am. Like any typical Mexican family the whole clan was there to witness this tradition. Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike were there. NanaLu and Uncle Ish watched and cheered on. Ma and Nana were there too. Kate's favorite monkey made the picture too! I brought this along to soothe her and ease her anxiety. We have even been reading her Christmas book and I "prepared" her about Santa. But of course, none of these things worked. I totally expected Kate to freak out. I felt bad for her, but we all had a good laugh at her expense. Poor baby, I have probably scarred her for life.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

We went and picked out our Christmas tree yesterday. Once again, I thought Kate would be excited to pick out the tree or at least run around and pretend to enjoy the trees. No interest. I tried taking a picture with her and she was scared of the tree and kept saying, "no, no, no." Instead we got a picture of Chris (dada) with the chosen tree. Kate on the other hand we really enjoyed running away from me and playing with the Home Depot cart. Now tonight, we decorate the tree. That should be fun with a 20-month old!

Family Pictures

It's the MOST wonderful time of the year, c'mon everybody sing along with me! Ok, so maybe not. In my little world I think that I am going to get the whole family together in matching outfits to take a family picture. In my head I envisioned Kate smiling and laughing and taking pictures with all her favorite people. What of course ends up happening is that it takes us much longer to get ready and prepare for this day, instead of actual picture taking. We arrived in downtown Yuma to take family photos. This was supposed to be our Christmas cards and gifts to Kate's grandparents. She was supposed to take pictures with each set of grandparents and of course do a whole picture taking bonanza with several different shots (i.e., Chris with his parents and Kate, Chris with his mom and Kate, me with my mom and step-dad and Kate, you get the idea). What ends up happening is what you see illustrated in these pictures. Kate had her own agenda, as she always does. She wanted to run up and down stairs and we were getting in the way of her fun; how dare we?! Well all the hysteria, aggravation, and headaches aside these are definately worth keeping to remind Miss Kate what a lil' pill she was, is. Hope your family photos are memorable too!


"I want to play on this ball, no, wait, I change my mind, get me off!"


"You take her, no, you take her, you got her? no, you got her? no."


Baby gap dress & tights $50, Grandma Delia's outfit $??, 3 Hours primping, Kate not partaking in the photo session ~ priceless.