Well, It's Been Awhile Huh?!

I look at my last post and wonder how time got away sooo fast.  I could have had a BABY by now! I have so much to catch up on and my mind is just reeling but I know it's just going to take one day at a time and if I don't get it right...well, there's always the hope for next year!

The kids are growing up so fast and I really miss those bitty moments when I look back at pictures of when they were babies.  Sometimes I feel like it was all a dream and I didn't get to enjoy it like I should have.  Story of many mom's lives I'm sure.  I look at Tanner's 2 yr pic in the hallway and see Mateo's 8 month pic next to it...awwww they loved their mama! lol  but now, Tanner-20, and Mateo-11...not so much!  The picture of Isa at 2 watering flowers in her overalls! (can't even find overalls now!) and the Twins laying in a bed of flower petals..Grace always holding Gabi somewhere because she just wasn't sure of anyone. (Grace used to suck on Gabi's nose when they were in the crib together).  Oh, I would love to play that whole season over again but this time with normal sleep time!

What I see now is each child, so unique and crazy and cool!  I wish I would've been that cool when I was a kid! lol!

Superman is still my Superman!  He gives so much to us-God has blessed us with this man that has patience, grit, tears, laughter, fun, strength and most of all the desire, thru God's will, to help lead us as a family with our Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  15 Years ago I never saw that coming and it reminds me of how God has a plan and uses it for our good to glorify Him. 

As for me, I am learning and growing each day.  Watching my family learn and grow and hopefully in there somewhere being a blessing to others in some way.  It's a goal that needs to be more focused on and I hope to be reminded by God of how I can be a blessing to others in some small way each day. 

Till next time~

Got alittle Tanner time!

Well, for a couple of weeks we got to see a whole lot more of my oldest, Tanner.  He wasn't too thrilled, but I just loved feeding him!  His car broke down and while it was getting fixed, guess who hauled him around??  On top of that, he decided to move from his apartment to a friends' house and so that will save him some $$.  He's closer to us now and that's great, because that kid can eat!  Striking out on your own is scary sometimes and lonely too.  Tanner was looking forward to the alone time after having 4 other siblings pecking on him all the time, but I think it's alittle strange for him and we might even go as far to say, "I think he misses it!"  Now, since he doesn't read my blog, we can go there!  Gabi is probably the happiest when Tanner pulls up in the drive.. she and Tanner have a weird bond together...They like each other!  She loves to snuggle with him and hang on him.  The fact that he puts up with it is amazing! lol

Doing his laundry is amazing as well!   Oh my gosh!  He waits till it's ALL dirty, then brings it, looking like santa with bag after bag! 

Gotta love that boy!  :)

It's SPRING BREAK!

Ok, so I'm not exactly the mom that looks forward to spring breaks...but I am tryingggg! lol  First day was good.. Second day-ok, third day..GRRRR!  I thought I'd take the kids to the Ymca but only one wanted to go and the whole troop was not too excited.  So, I sat there and watched them run around saying how bored they were and we finally left.  The only thing they did get excited over was the SNACK on the way home!  Thinking I'm just going to set up a scavenger hunt for snacks every day and that way I kill 2 birds with one stone- I get em outside and moving, and they get a snack! 

We wish we could have taken them to Snow Creek again for tubing this year but it just didn't happen and they ended up closing the Lodge early anyway-so, next year maybe!

The twins are decked out in blue eyeshadow and glitter faces looking like punk fairies and the older 2 are stuck on the TV!  GRRRR!  That babysitter HAS TO GO!  I did it myself-using the tv as a sitter so many times and now I'm paying for it.  Summertime at the Villegas house is going to find a permanent lemonade stand in the front yard just to keep em outside!  Maybe they'll sell rocks too! lol

:)  Happy Spring Break!

Making Snow from Scratch!

Ok, well obviously I'm behind AGAIN!  Grrrr!  Well, we have missed some days of school lately because it was too cold  at 25 degrees but were allowed to go to school at 16 below!.. hmmmm.  So, on the 16 below day, we decided we would make snow from scratch!  It was so much fun!  I boiled water in a cup and each kiddo got to throw it in the air outside and watch snow come down!  Even Superman got in on it and I have to say I think I caught him giggle...Ahhhh Love it when my crew giggles!  So I have some pics of the process and although I'm far behind on the other pics I'm posting these now!

Last night, VALENTINE'S DAY- we all went to the Justin Beiber movie!  Ok, Mateo thought it was gonna be soooo stupid and Isa was being cool about it, but the twins were SO excited!  You know, their birthday is the same day as Justin's so they're buds!  Ok, I'm getting better at this cause I brought my camera to the movie so I could take pics of the kids hopefully standing next to a Justin Beiber cutout stand-up thingy...but, there wasn't one....ugh...so, they all had to stand there in front of everyone and pose for me anyway! The movie was great and of course the girl cried!...ME, being THAT girl! lol, the kids kept looking at me during the movie.  Just waiting for me to break down I guess...they know me sooo well.

After the movie we went to Orange leaf for some ice cream and I stepped in two blobs of stuff in front of the counter..when I told the girl at the counter that there was stuff on the floor and we stepped in it, she looked out at it and said "ohhh, yaaa".  Then just stood there and watched us..  I wanted to reach across the counter and pull her thru the sprinkles so that she would wake up, but...there WERE little kids watching! For V-Day,
Superman got me a whole bag of 3 musketeers and a wonderful card so I was alittle sugared up already!...

Gabi is stuffy in the nose today with a little cough so she's home and BORED!  She's already made a craft, tuned her 3 string guitar, done exercises on a ball, played with the barbie house and written a song on the piano!  Now, after her medicine is kicking in....I think I can say she might be ready to chill...ahhhh.

Isabella printed out a nice flyer that we have hanging on our cabinet in the kitchen.  I don't know where she got it but i love it.  "God Speaks In The Silence Of The Heart..Listening Is The Beginning Of Prayer."

God blesses me everyday by being ignorant enuff to let His words of wisdom come from my Smart Children.
U gotta love how He works!

Good Day!

Home-made Snow!

Isabella

Gabi

Mateo

Grace

SuperMan...Giggling!

Snow Day!

Snow Days are going to cause our kids to be in school thru the summer if they keep going like this!  My kids were bored by 10:00am yesterday so we had to drag out the Spin-Art machine...THAT was fun...lasted about 10 minutes and I vowed to seriously think about throwing it out!  Now, today, I'm thinking the kids should take it outside in the snow and let it rip with the paint flying into the snow!  Later in the day, after searching ALOT of recipes to find the same exact one I had made the week before, I came across my Duncan Hines crinkle cookie recipe!  I was in Heaven!  Probly the only thing I have baked that my kids loved!  So, I whipped a batch up for small group and had it done in 15 min!  Such a fast recipe:  1 duncan hines fudgy chewy brownie mix and 2 eggs, 1/3 cup oil, and 1 cup semi sweet choc chips!  That's it!  Bake at 350 for 11 min. and woo-hoo! cookies!  plop em in a plate of powdered sugar and yum yum yum!

The kids went out side this morning to play and dig igloos!  But first-they had to work together and scrape off the sidewalk..the expressions on their faces were not very exciting but they worked together and got it done in no time! lol

Tanner came over to say HI and I just LOVE his visits!  He didn't stay long but enough time for me to smother him!

Superman played raquetball for the first time in ..like 15 years a couple of days ago and was out scooping snow yesterday!  He's not too sore ...yet! lol  So glad that he has a sport that he can go let off some steam with now!  Yay!

Ok, we have been fortunate enough to continue the Karate with Grace and Mateo right now and just take it month to month.  I know that Karate is so important to them and we will continue as long as we can. 
Our family life has sure hit some bumps in the last couple of years and we try to deal with them as they come.
Some days you feel like your life is crumbling and others can make you feel like you've just started a great new chapter.  I never looked back much to see the plan that God was laying out for my life but now I can see that everything that I faced, whether crazy, good, bad, sad or even evil - was another door that led me to a closer walk with God.  Every door made me want more, search harder and love deeper.  What God has put in my heart...that DESIRE to keep searching for more...is my so called skeleton key.  The key that will open every door that he puts me in front of and I am starting to look forward to the doors now, with a little less fear and alittle more hope and excitement.

Hmmm.  I don't have any new exciting news today...Grace and Gabi are learning a song in sign language in school for a program coming up so they spend alot of time running around signing at me lol.. But that doesn't stop them from talking while they do it...I thought it was supposed to be a quiet song?..Mateo has decided to grow his hair out.   He hasn't decided to comb it yet though...Grrr.  Tanner has informed us that he has a plan for school and he's moving to Johnson County in a year and a half...:)  With girlfriend...it's all planned out...:)  He's taking more pictures with me lately and he said "better get em while you can-cause I'm moving soon!" lol.  (he'll be back...)

One big win for the family dinner was Taco night!  Yay!  I have always put it off because everyone would scream "NO!" when I would mention it but last night I just decided to go for it and whew!  Almost everyone was happy!  Grace wasn't sure about the whole thing but my other picky eaters were thrilled.  They kept trying to figure out how to eat without making a mess..when I told them to just dig in and make their own it took awhile before they got the hang of it..  They kept eyeing me to see if I was gonna get all OCD about all the food on the table.  We really need more messy dinners...after all, the cure for OCD is to confront! lol

Well, today is getting cold and stormy looking so I think we are in for a good one soon.  Hopefully it will produce "play snow" if it comes!    Hard to believe it was 70 the other day!  Well, what a boring blog today but I have promised myself to really try and sit for 15 minutes a day and write something that went on in our lives the day before...The more I blog about my family, the more I love them.  So many times we fly thru the day and all the great stuff that happens is just left in the mist.  We don't think it's that big of a deal that gabi fell off her chair while eating or that there was that "brief" moment between Mateo and Grace where they really connected, or the time when Superman kissed mama and static shocked them to the point they screamed... just another day.  But looking back and reading those times makes me sure of my purpose at this moment. 

Smack-Down!

Wow!  Thursday was not only beautiful outside- 72degrees! in January! But I ended up getting some really good time spent with a fabulous friend!  Who knew when I was dreading taking some clothes back to exchange for something (LARGER!), that I would get to have some "smack the attitude around, hose it down and hang it on a fence" time!  I love my Misti and there's no one else who can smack me back into shape like her!  THANK GOD!  Everyone should have ONE!  There's always something great that happens in your life when you get to be REAL & DIRTY about your life with someone who will just tell you what you need to hear.  And not too often is it what you want to hear...lol.  God sure knows how to give it to me and it's never with a drink in my hand.

As I'm complaining about why these clothes don't make me look skinny (which is such a joke -why would I think anything would make me look skinny if I'm NOT! lol)  she finally looks at me and says "oh crap! because your old!  and it's not getting any better!  And shut up and enjoy it now!  And, ...don't they make a damn girdle for that???...LOVE HER!  laughed until I bout pee'd my pants..which is going to be another problem soon..  It is what it is!  LOL!  Now, if superman had told me that...not sure how good that would have gone over!  But with my Misti- It was just what I needed!  She has a way with me where she can be 10 feet away and tell me I'm being stupid and get over it and I feel her arms around me holding me as she says it.
The same way God does it...He's always holding us when he scolds us or shows us something we don't want to see.  You just have to stop for a minute and FEEL Him holding you.  Then you see what's being shown to you in a softer way.  Not so harsh as to run you off, but solid enough to make you look straight at it. 

Friends are really the IT factor.. They're your mirror so you can see the lovely AND the ugly.  Maybe it's just for a season.  Maybe a lifetime.  Either way...Yum...  :)