Summer Neighborhood Kids

Now that summer is over and school is back in session, it sure is quiet. A few days out of every week this summer we had half a dozen or so little neighborhood kids playing in our yard with Esperanza.

Ring around the rosies

The sad part is, some of these kids would be over for the entire day without a parent checking on them or even knowing where they were. I never once met a parent or even heard anybody call their kids home. They would usually go home on their own when they wanted to. I'd feed them, give them water but send them home if they needed to go to the bathroom. Keep in mind, these kids' ages range from 4 to 7!!!

Zoey & Esperanza Having a Picnic

The very wonderful thing though was that I was able to provide a safe and fun place for these kids to spend a good part of their summer. Esperanza had kids to play with & I had entertainment for her while I tended to newborn baby Ezra. It really was perfect for everyone. They mostly played in the front yard/porch but when Armando was home, he'd take them all out back and push them on the swings and let them play in the playhouse or sandbox while he supervised.

Goopy hands

Aianna & EsperanzaOkay, Carter is no neighborhood kid, but he had fun with everyone this day tooI hope these kids have some good memories, I know Esperanza does.

Camerino The 4th

Sorry to those of you who got this in an email twice...I tried posting from my phone and apparently it isn't as smart as it thinks and turned all the pictures sideways. Won't try that again.

Meet my new nephew, Camerino. He was born September 24th, 2011 to Mando's sister Cathy and her husband, you guessed it, Camerino (we call him Nino). I am so thrilled that Ezra has a cousin his age! Isn't he precious?

Camerino the 3rd with Camerino the 4thHe might be a Mendez, but you sure can't take the Valencia out of him

Coast & Back In Under 24 Hours

When we went to the coast for Jason's wedding last weekend, it was a very quick trip. We were there less than 24 hours. We went to the wedding Saturday, stayed the night in a cheap motel, got very little sleep then packed back up to head out when the sun came up. The weather changed over night and it was cold, windy and wet. So instead of our original plan to spend a couple of hours on the beach, we went to the Cheese Factory in Tillamook. Once Esperanza found out they made ice cream there, she forgot all about missing the sand and water on the beach.

Unlike Esperanza and I, Ezra slept like a log Oh my, look at that face!
With the excpetion of Armando getting wedding party pictures taken on the beach the day before, this was the closest we got to the beachLast stop before heading home was the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We toured the place, sampled cheeses, bought some goodies to take home, and got some ice cream cones. Miss Esperanza got Bubble Gum flavored ice cream!

...and she loved it
For drives longer than 20 minutes, I pack some mamas milk in a bottle to keep Ezra happy and his belly full.Before long, both kids were in dream land and our trip was over

Ezra Chatter

I Do's In September

Two of Armando's friends tied the knot with two amazing women this month.

Jeff & Jasmyn

Jeff and Armando have been friends for as long as I can remember. He started dating Jasmyn several years ago, had a beautiful baby girl sometime after, got married in Vegas last year then recently held a more formal ceremony and reception for friends and family here at home. Sadly, we walked into the ceremony just after they said "I do". I used to always be promptly on time, if not, early to everything. Now, poopy diapers, temper tantrums & unexpected naps (kids, not me) make me late for just about everything. We were still able to enjoy the reception and congratulate Jeff & Jasmyn on their marriage.

Jason & Awna

Armando and Jason have been good friends since high school. Though Jason and Awna went to high school together, their romantic relationship and life together has only just begun. They had a small, intimate ceremony which was held outside on the Oregon Coast. Armando was one of the groomsmen and we were honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of their very special day. Esperanza and Samone (Jason's niece) followed Awna around like they were lost puppy dogs. Esperanza kept calling Awna Princess.Ezra enjoyed being held through all of his naps

Say Cheese

Armando recently got a job where he needed a phone with more reliable service. So he switched services and got a new phone. Lucky for me, he decided to get me an early birthday present and got me one too. Whoo-hoo! Besides it doing what a phone is supposed to do (which is new for me), it also takes neat pictures...here's a preview of some shots I've taken of the kids.

Cute naked baby Strawberries are still going strong!
Love this picture!I can't get her to quit picking her nose! The other day I asked her "you don't pick your nose at school do you?" Her reply, "No, only at home". Oh, Lucy Sleepy baby
Could he get any cuter?
Esperanza running with Maddy & Daisy at moms Corn field behind moms houseMy two favorite kids in the world I finished knitting Esperanza a blue hat she's been asking forever for. She loves it, and her blackberry milkshake. I moved Ezra's carseat to the middle the other day when we had another person in the car. Instead of moving it back later, I left it. I was hoping Esperanza wouldn't try feeding him something, or wake him if he was trying to sleep. As it turns out, the opposite was true. She holds his hand to try and comfort him when he's crying & she giggles and laughs with him when he's happy. A few days ago I asked her to try to give him a binky when he was really fussy while we were driving and he took it from her! Then today after I picked her up from school and he started crying on the way home she said to me in a very matter of fact kind of way "mama, I need his binky".

Ezra Is 3 Months Old

~He coo's and chats up a storm when you get him going. He loves to have deep intellectual conversations. ~He despises car rides. He can be all happy & giggly and then once he's in the carseat (or even just seeing the carseat), he starts to cry, and often continues to cry until we get out of the car. He especially doesn't like it when we run errans and I'm taking him in and out of the car every few minutes.

~He giggles and smiles all the time. Often he'll start kicking his legs and squeeling with delight. He'll sometimes even give you a crooked half smile~He's starting to settle into one morning nap and one afternoon nap. There are still the occassional cat nap here and there, but they are becoming more predictable. And he'll take naps almost anywhere.

~He is teething already. For now, all that means is he's a little fussier during the day and he drools a lot. I'm expecting there will be some sleepless nights soon, but for now, nights aren't a problem. He's not yet old enough to hold onto anything to put in his mouth, but he has recently discovered his fist and will knaw on it very intently, screaching with discomfort at times. At the same time I discoverd he was teething, his bowel movements became less often, even skipping a day or two. Not sure if these two things are related or not.
~He weighs 16 pounds

~He has an unusual pea size ball/lump on his right heel. I have an appointment later this month to get it looked at since everyone keeps commenting on it. He also breathes kind of raspy so we'll get that looked at too.

~He's still sportin' the mo-hawk ~He still sleeps wonderfully at night time. The other night he slept 11 hours without waking! I of course woke up drenched in breast milk and went to check on him to make sure he was still breathing. Sometimes he'll wake in the middle of the night, and I can hear him on the baby monitor cooing and making soft noises. I'll wait for him to start fussing before I get up to get him, but usually he goes back to sleep within a few minutes.

I'm one lucky mama to have such an amazing baby boy!

Big Sister, Little Brother

While I am hoping I'll have the first baby that stays a baby forever, Esperanza cannot wait for Ezra to grow up. She's constantly saying things like, "when he's bigger, he can swing with me" or, "when he gets bigger, he can eat a popsicle with me". Tonight while we were getting ready for bed she said, "when he's bigger, he can have acidophilous like me!".

For now, she enjoys dancing for him, helping change his diapers, taking baths with him, showing him her toys, putting blankets on him and talking to him. The other day they were both on the bed while I was hanging up some clothes and she said to him, "watch this brother". Then she proceded to do a summer-sault...right on top of him! I know she didn't do it on purpose, but it definately shook him up and irritated me. He loves watching her play and run circles around him. He follows her with his eyes, smiling and kicking his legs as if he wants to be running around with her. All in good time, all in good time...

I think she was mad at me for some reason here...but stilll lovin her brother and holding his hand

Butterfly Catcher

We planted a butterfly bush in our front yard last fall, so we've seen lots of Monarch butterflies this summer. Esperanza has been trying to catch one for months. She hasn't gotten even close, but she has fun, and thats the point. She must have thought the turtle water floaty would attract the butterflies