Things keep getting better and better here in Laredo! It's so nice to put the kids in shorts and spend time at the park in the middle of winter and cold season! :)

Jorge & I celebrated our 6th anniversary in January, thanks to God! Here is a pic of the kids with the anniversary flowers!


The kids are growing up so quickly, so I am honored to be able to watch it all happen, thanks to God. They are sooo excited for the arrival of their little brother. (And at a chunky 6 months of pregnancy, so am I!) Sebastian recently made his own bed for the 1st time, so I was sure to get a picture!


Living in Laredo gives us the beautiful opportunity to frequently visit all of our family in Corpus Christi. Here is a picture of Karol getting spoiled by her cousin, Alex, and Uncle Ralph!


While in Corpus Christi, we also attended a Roaring 20's Valentine's Dance for Sts. Cyril & Methodius Church (Jorge's hometown parish). It was the perfect way for us to celebrate Valentine's Day with family & friends! (I would've posted more pics, but my duck-taped camera kept dying! Good news: I just got a new one!)

We have just returned to Laredo after a wonderful Christmas vacation. We went to Odessa, and spent time with Grandma, Great-Grandma, Tia Vanessa, Tia Angel, and many dear friends. We also made stops in Austin, Lockhart, and San Antonio for special visits with more family and friends! It was a great time, but we're pooped and glad to be home!

Long time, no update! So much to report!

First, great news! We are expecting the next Juarez Baby! Official due date is June 28th! Jorge & I are so excited... although that morning sickness has been a doozy! Sebastian is really hoping for a baby brother! Karol, as expected, is a little oblivious to it all! We're all doing well, and looking forward to going to Buela's house for Christmas! Here's one of our attempts at a Christmas card picture!



Fun news... I had the most wonderful opportunity recently. I met a few Lubbock friends in Hunt, TX to put on a retreat for our youth from Divine Mercy Church in Laredo. It was a weekend of a lifetime!



Sad news, our beloved dog, Roy passed away earlier this month. I adopted him 8 years ago, and am so grateful to have had such a wonderful pet for so long. He showed me how to love the way God wants me to! We will all miss him.



Merry Christmas, everyone!

Here is a slideshow from our recent and wonderful visit to Lubbock! We stayed with Karol's madrina, and attended Sebastian's padrino's wedding! (Wait! Did you catch all of that?)

At the end of July, Jorge celebrated another birthday! We praise the Lord for the gift of his life! The kids & I surprised him with a cake at his job, then took him to dinner later that evening!

Sebastian had the wonderful idea of making his dad a "Dinosaur Football Official" cake! You see... Sebastian loves dinosaurs... and his dad loves being a high school football official!
And since I'm on the topic of cakes... many of you know I love cake decorating! (Definately Eva's daughter!) So I've been playing around a little more! I've been working with the Divine Mercy Church youth group, so for our night about Mary, I made a cake!

Well we hope all are well! God bless!

We attended a wedding in San Angelo, and also met Buela there for the weekend. We had an awesome time!

Our dear friend Tamara, who we know from our days at Tech, had a beautiful, and holy wedding!

And thanks to God, we got to have a fun and very entertaining dinner with Fr. David! He's as kind and silly as ever!

We've now completed our 2nd month in Laredo. It's getting better and better, and slowly I am having fewer and fewer "I despise Laredo" days! It's not at all a terrible place... it's just that there are so many cultural differences, and it's difficult to adjust. Aside from the outrageous cost of real estate, it's a very beautiful place. God has been so good to us. I am loving being with the kids more, I actually might have a great p/t job in the fall, we have a wonderful church community, & Jorge is enjoying his new job. :) What has also helped us is that Uncle Ralph (Jorge's brother) & Aunt Suzie visited one week, and Tia Nessa (my sister) came another week. We had a blast with our families!

For those of you that "check in", here are some updated pics:

Sebastian is growing like a weed! We started a new "Be Good at Mass" incentive program! After many weeks of good behavior, he finally earned his much-awaited wrecking ball! (And Jorge & I finally get to pay attention and pray at Mass! Go figure!)

Karol is a bit fiesty (which no one can deny is totally Carrasco!), but she is such a sweetheart! She is growing up quickly. We even occasionally assign her the small chore of feeding Roy, because she's so good at it! :)

We are officially Laredoans! We're settled in and perhaps even getting used to the heat... ok, maybe not. Things are good, thanks to God.

Here are some recent pics! The first two are from the San Antonio Zoo! We're only a couple of hours away now.


Here's Sebastian after a day at the Dinosaur exhibit at a San Antonio museum. Back in Laredo at the local library!

Here's our home!

And... one more of the kiddos!

Lots of pics for this post...
First, despite the dreary, freezing cold weather (plus snow flurries), Easter was a beautiful celebration of the Resurrection! Allelulia, allelulia!

Sebastian still loves dinosaurs more than ever. This microscopic dinosaur is the latest arrival! He even gets to nap with our kid.
Buela was recently in town to help me out with the kids. While we were out shopping, she threw a couple of outfits in the cart. Here are the kids in the new Dora & Diego duds. Sebastian couldn't wait to wear his Diego shirt. He even wanted to wear it to bed! And that Karol... not only does she look like Dora... she really likes Dora! She kept pointing to all of the little Doras on her shirt, saying, "Dor!"

(By the way, I did not prompt Sebastian to do the finger-pointing "hey"!)
And here's one with Sebastian getting his guns up! Once again, unprompted... really.
And thanks to God, we have 26 newly Confirmed Catholics! I'm guessing this was my last dinner with Fr. Jim & Bishop Placido, so ghetto-Roni pulled out the camera to capture the memory! My time in youth ministry has been priceless!

We're looking forward to becoming Laredoans! (Is that what they're called?)

Oh, this thing is definately in need of an update!

First, we're moving to Laredo, Texas! Jorge will be the director of the new rec center at the local university. (TAMIU) God-willing, I'll be able to stay home with the kids. Additionally, by God's grace, the university will also allow me to teach a speech course or two... pending I finish this 8 year masters degree! Good news: I successfully proposed my thesis a few weeks ago, and am getting closer to the finish line day by day! Thanks, God!

A couple of months ago, Jorge & I celebrated our 5-year anniversary! We are tooooo blessed by God. Only grace could give me the best husband on earth! :)

One of my best friends here in Lubbock, Dana, just had a 10lb baby! (And 4 ounces!) This is a pic at her shower. Some of you may recognize some of these girls from the CSA days! (Tori, Christy, Dana, Laura, Me)

And last, but not least, here's a more recent one of Sebastian & Karol! Sebastian is now 3.5, and Karol is 1.5. Sebastian STILL loves dinosaurs and sports, and is growing up into a wonderful, sweet, yet wild, young boy! :) Karol is one tough cookie, and handles her brother well. She loves to wear necklaces, climb the dog, and ride her motorized car!

We are so excited for what God has in store for our family next! Please pray for this transition... including that we sell our house! (St. Joseph, pray for us too!)

Our love to you all!

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What a fun day! Today was my first 10K! (Hey, that rhymed!) With God's help, I had a great time! And I am soooo blessed to have such awesome & supportive family & friends!!