1st Place

I still can't believe Casper won 1st place in a pulling contest. He pulled 1,550 lbs. That's amazing for it being his first time. Tino says everyone was impressed. I wish I would have been there, but I had already told mom we would go to church for a wedding. Oh well....this is his first prize and I am sure it won't be his last!

Gotta go, it's time to go party =)

If it was up to them....

they would live in a park !

Today we headed down to Huntsville for court on that stupid ticket I got on Memorial Day. Remember? We had plenty of time before it was time to go to court and we decided to stop at this quiet park with a huge playground. Aracely and Carlos were thrilled.




I even got on a swing. Not for too long though. It made me dizzy and my stomach started aching. Does that mean I am not a kid anymore?

By the time we were ready to go home, they were pooped. They slept all the way home.


Oh....and the ticket was DISMISSED !!!

Our Sundays at the Park begin

Tino started playing soccer a couple of Sundays ago, but we had not made it to any of his games because it had not been warm enough. We are getting there, so this Sunday, we had to go.

Aracely and Carlos were thrilled with the idea of going to the park. Despite the fact that we woke them up at 6AM for church.

They can never go pass a dandylion without cutting it.

p.s. Tinos team lost 1-2 and on top of that, their coach quit on them.

RETREAT.

I was honored to be chosen as Brendas madrina for her confirmation. As a result of that, we had to attend a retreat today from 8:30-2:30. I am not going to lie, I was not too thrilled about it. I almost thought of it as going to work. It was everything but work. I had never been to one, and I am happy to say that I hope it’s not my last.

Father Javier had a lot of things to say that made me wonder. He talked to everyone; teenagers, parents and padrinos. And everything he said made sense.

I always said that the reason I didn’t go on to college was because my parents could not afford it. But if I would of made the sacrifice and pay for my own school, maybe now I’d have a certificate or a degree to be proud of. I’ve been working on going back to school. I just took a test a couple of weeks ago, and there are a couple of subjects I need to brush up on before I can sign up for college. I am working on it ;)

There was another man that spoke wonderfully. One thing he talked about was how some people don’t like to see us shine.

I know there are some people that don’t like to see me shine.

I don’t shine as much as I would like to, but I am working on it. I am not going to let these people intimidate me or stop me from accomplishing my goals. I have a lot of polishing to do, for my sake and the sake of my family.

They both talked about drugs, sex, and child abuse. As a parent, these subjects really hit me hard. I want the best for my children and I hope that with the help of God, I will lead my kids thru the right path.

Carlos...always ready for a picture

Everytime I pull out my camera, Carlos is ready for a picture.

Even while we are driving.

He is so fotogenic.

It's amazing how time has flown by. Carlitos will be 2 next month. However, he is still my sweet baby.

I LOVE...

-how he sometimes wants to cuddle.
-how he puts his little lips up when I ask him for a kiss.
-how he takes a couple of steps back before kicking a ball (and sometimes misses).
-how he calls his sis....Ately.
-his silly little faces...anything to make us laugh.
I will love when he no longer wears diapers !

GOAL: potty train Carlitos!!!

Monkey See, Monkey Do !

Carlos always wants to do what Aracely does and vice versa.

I've always said they have a love&hate relationship, and I have a feeling it's always going to be like that. I hope that thru the years it leans more towards a love relationship, and that you are always there for eachother.

p.s. we went to the lake today, no pictures because there was no time for any. They had a checkpoint when we got there and I got a ticket for my windows being too dark. Stupid checkpoints. Five years driving our truck like that and never had a problem. To make matters worse, we didn't stay at the lake for very long because it started rainning. Stupid rain !

Five years

and he still gives me butterflies.



Happy Anniversary Babe. You say it doesn't feel like it's been five years, and I think you are right. It's been the best five years of my life. Thank you for everything you do and don't do.

Love,

Your Wifey
xoxoxoxoxo

p.s. to celebrate, we went here

The food was yummylicious...

I think Carlitos agrees with me.

Family Portrait

(You can click on the title to watch the video)
I first heard this song the other day that I was watching a special report on Pink. I had heard about her, but had not paid attention to her music until I heard the lyrics to Family Portrait. It seriously gave me chills, and it also reminded me of how lucky I have been to have the family I have.

and the driving begins

We don't want to leave but we have to. I wish we all lived closer, or that those magical powers that Arcie and I sometimes talk about really did exist (sigh).

California,
that's it for now. You were loads of fun, I am happy to say that you never disappoint me. That's why I keep coming back =)

We stopped at Vegas to visit dad's sister, my tia Lola. I fell in love with her house. Soooo pretty !

Anyway, here she is with el Abuelo and Dad.

Family Times

Last time we visited Chencho and Arcie, I noticed their "work of art" on the sidewalk and really liked it. This time, I had to take a picture. There is something about my last name that I really like. Must be the authenticity of it. Lots of people can’t spell it right let alone pronounce it correctly. It’s [mar-cial], not Marshall or Mariscal. Get it right people !

Meño, Josue, Lupe, El Abuelo, Dad, Chencho, Andres and Tavo.

Four Generations

Four Generations

Dad's brothers, my uncle Jose and his family came down to visit. I am sure he wanted el Abuelo to stay, but he belongs to Dad until further notice =)

We chilled in the back yard after some good carne asada. It's nice to just kick back and relax with the people you miss and care about so much.

Here I am with three of my four brothers. Lupe, Chencho and Tavo.

And here with two of my cuñis. Eli and Arcie.

Josue, Andres and Meño. My three nephews. Arent they handsome?

My niece Emily and I.

and last but not least, I could not go without taking a picture with the love of my life.