Thankful

We have so much to be thankful for.

Our boy turned 9 last week. We celebrated at a nice hibachi restaurant in the area, and the kids loved it... though the fire scared them for a moment! We are so thankful for this precious son of ours who is so smart and so kind.

And what would I do without this other female in the house? She is currently my little fashionista... though certainly not girly-girl. No barbies or dolls will be found in this house... and if you do find one, it probably belongs to one of her brothers. ;)

This week, she lost not one, but TWO front teeth. This might get expensive for the tooth fairy!

Blaise, oh Blaise... he is a kid entirely worthy of his name. He is hilarious, strong-willed, and knows no stranger. He's the kid who asks strangers questions like, "HEY, can I come to yo house?" and "HEY, are you a boy or a gohl?" No kid of ours has shown more attitude... or more love and affection. This kid makes me laugh harder than the others... and cry more too! Here is a picture of Blaise at the zoo. I am VERY thankful for this guy. I know God has a beautiful plan for him.

And last, but not least, there's #4. Rocco still likes to get into stuff. (See post titled: Spackle) For fun, he likes to try to open a variety of canisters, jars, etc. He is successful 97% of the time. We have to keep all of the room doors closed because he can successfully climb into the bathroom sinks, onto the top of bunk beds, etc. Not even the tupperware cabinet is safe!

People always say, "I don't know how you do it with four kids!" I know it's by God's grace, and Jorge & I feel extra thankful for these 4 precious blessings.

Home is Where the Heart is

Soooo, we're moved in! Well... kind of. There are STILL boxes everywhere, along with un-hung pictures, etc. I think & hope & pray it'll get done soon.

Here's the new casa. At first, I thought it was a little small... but after living in a hotel, I think it's PERFECT! ;)

The layout is GREAT for us... 4 bedrooms & a big kitchen overlooking a yard.

JORGE is really enjoying his new job, and he is also staying extremely busy as a football official. There is a LOT of football going on here, so Jorge is wearing his black & white stripes way more than we're used to. He has some BIG games on his schedule this season & we're so excited for him.

The new school is great, but again... it takes some getting used to. Homework takes at least a couple of hours every night, which has been a tough adjustment. A fun & interesting change is that the school is VERY ethnically diverse. At school pick-up time, we see several moms wearing hijabs (Muslim hair veils), while others wear sarees, and still plenty others look like the stereotypical "soccer moms" from the burbs! ;) Sebastian even has a classmate that brings Asian seaweed for snacktime. I think this is good for us. (But even with all this diversity, there are few Hispanics. How are we the fastest growing minority population, yet there's not a Latino in sight around here?!!) ;)

SEBASTIAN is slowly adjusting to the new school. It's not easy being "the new kid." Please say a prayer for his continued transition. Solid friendships require time (and grace!) to develop. Academically, he's having to work hard too. Most of you know, Sebastian is a bit of a nerd! At his last school, he had a dear friend named Meg, who is very smart & we jokingly called his academic rival. Sebastian says that at this school, there are many "Meghans." (Academically speaking, of course!)

KK is REALLY enjoying school. She's the kind of kid that loves to do homework, and cares less about socializing. She misses her former teacher and her old playground, but likes the library, art, & music class. Oh, and her new teacher is... a RED RAIDER! Wreck em!

BLAISE is growing up, demonstrated by fewer meltdowns. *Thank you, Jesus!* He's constantly making us laugh to tears, and the kid doesn't know a stranger.

ROCCO is still opening everything... just not poisonous substances anymore. *Again... thank you, Jesus!* He can even untwist or pop open sippy cups, so I'm often cleaning up messes, but that sweet smile melts my heart nonetheless.

And BTW, we finally found a church to call home. This, too, has been an adjustment. The church has 31,000 people! This is much bigger than the last TOWN we lived in! It's hard to not feel anonymous there, but we're slowly finding our place. I started attending a weekly womens' Bible study there, and I'm loving it. And several of the women have FIVE kids, so it's the first time that we're considered one of the "smaller families!" Lol!

We hope each of you is doing well. We send you our love & prayers.

Life in the Big City

We officially have a closing DATE! August 15th! TEN MORE DAYS! Living it up in the Hyatt has been AWESOME, but the kids miss their toys, Jorge is ready to make his own breakfast tacos in his own kitchen, & I miss having more than 1 bathroom! (#FirstWorldProblems - We are VERY blessed.)

Last week we celebrated Jorge's birthday. The sweet staff at his new job surprised him with a luncheon at a nice restaurant. Soooo kind! Later that evening, the kids & I took him to The Cheesecake Factory. Mmmm! (In a related story, Jorge has recently started back with his lunchtime workouts.)

One of the best things about being in a big city again is having access to fab restaurants, malls, & TARGET!! What I DON'T miss about the big city is the lack of friendliness that we sometimes see. Whatevahhhh.

Last week, we also had our first playdate in the area. Back in our days in Lubbock, we were a part of a remarkable & extensive Catholic community. To this day, we are connected to so many of these people. And so sure enough, a few of these Red Raiders in the area get together for playdates, and they were sweet enough to quickly include us.

I'm beginning to get VERY nervous about registering my kids at a new school, but I know all is in God's hands. He's carried us this far, and His faithfulness is unending.

The Move 2012

As many of you know, Jorge just landed a new job, so our family is on the move again. Here's what you might've missed...

1. For now, we are living in an extented-stay hotel until we get a house.

THE GOOD: Housekeeping cleans up & makes our beds every day. The hotel provides a delicious breakfast every morning. Every evening during the week they serve heavy appetizers, desserts, and wine! They shuttle Jorge to work when needed, and they'll even go buy our groceries if we want to cook in our little kitchenette. And did I mention that they serve wine???

THE BAD: All 6 of us are living in one room. Sebastian talks as much in his sleep as he does when he's awake. And sweet little Karol is about to eat Blaise. My kids might need some space soon. Plus, I've had more warm cookies and wine than I've had workouts.

2. We found a house & hope to be in it by early August.

THE GOOD: Thanks to God (and the prayers of St. Joseph), someone is taking our house off of our hands. Our new home is in a fantastic neighborhood within walking distance to an exemplary school. It has a huge kitchen, so I foresee many more cupcakes in our future.

THE BAD: We paid full-price, because that part of town is a sellers' market. Boooo. But hey, Karol will have some space & won't be tempted to eat any of her brothers in the full-priced house.

3. Jorge is loving his job.

THE GOOD: The people at his job have been extremely warm & welcoming. The university really takes care of its employees. The perks around here are unbelievable. Some of you may not know this, but they'll even cover our kids' college tuition. (Thanks be to God. Call me crazy, but I feel like the more we give into God's plans, including letting him plan this big ol' family, the more we see His providence.)

THE BAD: I'm experiencing a bit off culture shock. I've taught intercultural communication. I understand that different groups have different ways of communicating, eating, functioning, etc. In the past, I've adjusted to a variety of people, but this group is new. I don't mean to offend, but I've never been around so many... rich people. Don't get me wrong - I have friends who are doctors, successful business owners, etc... but the type of wealth around here seems WAY different. I was at a grocery store that didn't even sell Ramen! *gasp* ;) Like all other situations, I'll learn to adapt & appreciate.

No transition is completely easy, but we're in God's hands. Wishing each of you continued blessings too. <3

Spackle

I never update our family blog (oops), but for those that have been concerned…

I often call Rocco,“Deditos,” which means “Little Fingers” because this baby has the quickest fingers I’ve EVER seen. I know all babies are quick & curious, but this one is especially Houdini-esque! For instance, when Rocco was about 5 months old, I was about to put a Cheeto in my mouth, but within a split-second, it was in HIS mouth! I said, “HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE DO THAT???”

So here’s the story of how these little fingers brought us a VERY frightening experience this week.

We’re moving in less than 3 weeks, and our house is currently on the market. Monday morning, painters had been working on the formal living room and the playroom. (My little playroom mural is gone now.) Since Jorge & I had been so busy with the impending move, I wanted to take the kids out to the Rec for a swim & some summer fun that afternoon.

I stepped away from the baby for about 2 minutes so I could go get a swimsuit out of the dryer. I heard Rocco in the playroom (which has always been a “safe zone”) but when I walked in, he was eating spackle. He looked like a bear with a tub of honey. This particular spackle is light and looks like Cool Whip. (I presume that one of the painters left it somewhere in his workspace. How on earth did Rocco even open it in that amount of time?) My heart sank.

I rushed him to the sink to wash off, and immediately called Poison Control. At first, the Poison Control lady didn’t seem worried & tried to calm my frantic fears. We hung up so she could call the on-duty toxicologist. Three minutes later, she called me back & told me to rush him to the nearest hospital… not to the Greenville hospital 20 minutes away… the NEAREST local hospital RIGHT AWAY.

The kids, in their swimwear, loaded the van and we hurried to the local hospital. The kids & I prayed fervently and cried, but tried to remain calm. One of Jorge’s co-workers dropped Jorge off at the hospital moments after we arrived.

At the hospital, we found out that spackle has glycol in it, the poisonous substance found in anti-freeze. Since Children’s Hospital in Dallas was the closest location that carried the anti-dote, they decided to care-flight the baby to Dallas. I was planning to fly with Rocco, since I’m his mom and his main food supply, but the hardest news was about to come. All of the helicopters from Children’s Hospital were in use, so Rocco would have to fly in one of the medical helicopters out of Greenville, Tx.

The good news: The helicopter would arrive quicker. The bad news: Greenville helicopters don’t have a seat for parents to fly with the patient.

When I heard that I wouldn’t be able to fly with my baby, I-lost-it.

The entire time, Rocco looked fine. No throwing up, no acting unusual. He was only upset because of the IV and lab pokes.

We knew we needed to get to Dallas FAST. We only had 1 vehicle, so while Jorge & the kids waited with Rocco, I sprinted on foot to our house to get our bags packed so we could get on the road ASAP. (I think my sprint time could’ve qualified in the Olympic finals.) When Jorge arrived with the van, we tossed in our bag & were on the road. That was the longest hour-long trip to Dallas EVER. We prayed and cried, prayed and cried. My phone had a small amount of battery left, so I made a few calls, including a call to my sister and a text to Rocco’s Godfather. As I expected, Rocco’s Godfather had started a long prayer-chain for our little guy.

On the road, I received a text from my sister who lives in Dallas: “Am here at hospital. They let me in his room. Holding him. He looks good. Just a lil fussy.” I was so thankful that Rocco was fine, and also very grateful to God for the gift of my sister who could hold & console my baby.

In the ER at Childrens’ Hospital, I was trying to explain what happened to the doctor & nurse. While the nurse was prepping to draw some of Rocco’s blood to send to the lab, the nurse turned his back for a moment, and like lightening, Rocco grabbed the nurse’s lancet (finger-pricker) and gauze! Oh, Deditos.

Labs were drawn every 4 hours and they looked fine. The doctors wanted us to stay overnight, just in case. Jorge & the kids stayed the night at my sister’s house. In the morning, they put the antidote in Rocco’s IV just to be safe. Rocco continued to look good. He laughed and smiled, and brought so much joy to those around him. God had protected him in this time of trouble.

Everyone at the hospital was so sweet and understanding. Apparently, our situation is not an uncommon one, but that didn’t seem to make me feel better. Out of the 10 different doctors that we encountered, one said something that upset me. She said, “Well, I bet it’s hard to watch him when you have 4 kids.” I understand that this is somewhat of a current cultural perspective, but seriously? I felt bad enough about this situation as it was. And by the way, do people really follow their 10-month-old crawlers a full 100% of the time? If so, how do they brush their teeth, stir dinner, and go to the bathroom? (And yes, I’ve taken my baby with me to the bathroom a number of times. Sheez - by the way - WHERE IS MY BABY right now as I'm writing this?!!? Just kidding. He’s with his dad.) The truth is that our baby has THREE EXTRA people that are usually watching him too and care sooo very much about him. Even our 4-year-old yells if he sees Rocco picking up a leaf that the dog dragged in! For this one person to blame my large family for this situation was irritating, to say the least.

By Tuesday evening, we were discharged. Rocco is fine, and we’ll never look at things the same again.

The hospital gave Rocco a cute little stuffed bear. We've named him "Spackle" to bring us laughter through all of our tears. We say, "Rocco, this is the ONLY Spackle you can put in your mouth!"

We have had Poison Control brochures in our house for years that I’ve read several times, but now I have read them with a new perspective. One says that poisoning is possible any time, but especially DURING MOVES and WHEN GUESTS ARE IN THE HOME. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for not scouring the playroom after the painters left, but I’m forever grateful that guardian angels and a loving God protected our precious little treasure.

Today’s Bible study verse for me was this:

“Give glory to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures forever.” Psalm 135:1

Indeed we will, because indeed it does.