SAY WHAT?!?

Carlos had surgery last week to repair a torn ACL. I wish I could have been in the recovery room with him - these would be such fun times to see him remotely out of control. He is never out of control.

I did finally get to see him. The nurse came out to get me. He refused to let her dress him and kept asking for me. (Sweet right?)

I accomplished my task and set about preparing him for the stroll down to the car. He was a little buzzed as he said, "You are a good wife to me, no matter what they say about you."

Yeah, baby that's the morphine talking!

Super Heroes Come Visiting

This afternoon I have been graced with the presence of the local superheros of Cedar Park. Mason and Perry have magically disappeared only to be replaced with Iron Man & Power Girl. Power Girl wears a Crayola pack back that spits out fire while Iron Man dons a navy cape. Evidently, there was a small crocodile under our entertainment center, but Iron Man stealthily took care of the problem. Our purple coffee table serves as Power Girl's bed space; Iron Man sleeps behind my hope chest. They really are such lovely visitors.

I saw traces of my toddler children in them as they began discussing their nipples. Our heroes were in a quandary and asked for my advice.

"Mom is 'nipples' a bad word to say?"

I replied in the negative, it was just a word that describes a part of your body like your 'elbow'.

Power Girl then went to to say that 'boobies' WAS a bad word, but not 'nipples'.

I gave up. I obviously don't have super powers like they possess.

They went on their merry way, but the topic wasn't over. Iron Man stressed the fact that his nipples were much bigger than Power Girl's. He even went so far as to "nurse" their kitten-pet.

I LOVE to witness these crazy imaginations in motion. It's material that I could never generate on my own!!! Parenthood is fun.

Teaching Moment

Cristian ran into our bedroom this morning saying he had just had a 'special experience'. So Jen and I asked what the 'special experience' had been. This is the experience Cristian recounted:

"I was looking for Mason's batman helicopter bullet and I couldn't find it. So, I said a prayer and when I was done I walked over to the toy box and I had a feeling that it was at the bottom of the toy box. I looked at the bottom of the toy box and I found the bullet!"

Needless to say that this was a great teaching moment for Cristian and us. Children have such simple faith. If only we could have faith as a child.

Guess what topic we'll be covering in FHE this Monday.

SAY WHAT?!?

Perry has something cute that she says. Whenever we got to eat kolaches, we have to get a few donuts as well. She always asks for a "pink donut with SPRINKLERS".

MASON has his own vocab too. Did you know that another title for people is "human BEANS?"

Culinary Picasso

So, I just discovered that I AM actually artistic! And who knew that I had been cultivating this talent everyday for the past 11 years. As you can distinctly see I effortlessly created a human face full of glee while preparing egg sandwiches for dinner last night. I am truly a genius. I believe Grandma Van, Markie, Shay, & Tay (the true artists) would be everlastingly impressed.

Or not.

SAY WHAT?!?

Here's another lovely addition from Mason, who I have been calling Mace as of late. It is driving Cristian crazy, but I give EVERYONE dear to me a nickname. Oh well.

So the kids were eating left over Popsicle's from the tonsillectomy days. Mason is standing there with his goodie in one hand and grabbing his penis with the other.

I ask, "Mace, do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"No," he replies.

"But you are holding your penis like you need to go pee-pee."

"No mom, it is just getting ready for a nap," he retorts.

I give him a very confused expression.

"Well, mom I already had my nap so my body isn't tired. Just my penis is ready for its nap."

Okay, and so we see here men are in tune with their penis' at such an early age. And that penis' do, in fact, have their own brains. THIS is valuable research.

Lebanese Grape Leaves - Oooh, that rhymes

Noel has her spring break this week so she and I took on a little culinary adventure. I had purchased these grape leaves about 6 months ago & finally found my cooking mojo. These are not hard, nor complicated. Just time consuming. The leaves had to be rinsed. Does it mildly resemble a pot leaf or am I just too hopeful?

Little Miss Noel was handy with the kitchen scissors. She deveined each leaf with gentle loving care. Let's face it, she is good for small detailed work. It must be her PT training. On a happy note, I love it that Noel is the one person that I can prep food with while talking about gory surgery and decaying limbs. That's a gift.



The time consuming task of stuffing the leaves. My recipe actually said that the prep time for this recipe was 45 minutes. What a bunch of crack smokers! That must be measured against Martha Stewart who has a prep staff of 15 beneath her per recipe. Cora was wherever her auntie was. She loves Noel terribly.









All the white granules are minced garlic. We sandwiched garlic between each layer. Then you pour lemon juice over all the bundles. Fill the pot with water. Cover the leaves with a heavy plate to keep them still. Cook for 2 hours. They were better tasting I thought the next day. It was fun making something ethnic and different. Carlos enjoyed showing them off at work.

Downward Spiral

One of our finer moments as parents...I am reminded of a comment my brother makes about his sons. He's saving for college tuition for one and bail money for the other. Sometimes that hits too close to home. Case in point, the minor offense discipline record sheet. Amazing that our little four-year-old can generate such a piece of paper.



I do pride myself that I'm at least not one of those parents that gets all defensive and points the finger in every direction but mine and my boy's. It helps that I L-O-V-E his teacher too. I've asked her if she'd move up to kindergarten and teach Mason again. She declined. She is tough, consistent, fair, and doesn't stand for his shenanigans. I will confess it wounds me a bit to have the problem child. I think that is just my pride though.

Cuz dang it, if all the drama of Mason isn't one of the greatest joys of my life. He amuses me to no end. We'll learn to handle to moods. He is a great kid.

Besides how many of you guys can boast a referral on your four-year old?

He even got to "chat" with the vice principle. Divine.

Mason's Surgery

Mason had his tonsils taken out today. These are a couple of pictures and a short video of the hospital stay. The video was taken about an hour-and-a-half after the procedure was over. We knew he was feeling better. I'm sure we all wish we could be that resilient.

Before

After

Hammin it up!

BFF

Exhibit a: This would be Perry, not on the friendship drug we like to call Emmy. This is a normal little 3 year old, happy as can be drug-free.

Exhibit b: And then our sweet little girl was introduced to the enticing, fast-paced, dramatic drug called friendship. Friendship disguised itself as a perky blonde, blue-eyed mistress called Emily. The addiction was immediate and can often be life threatening.

Exhibit c: The sick relationship continues. Familial co-dependency keeps both families sucked into this dangerous relationship. Life cannot go on without Emmy and Perry tied at the hip. Their names are uttered frequently on each others lips. Continued contact only enforces more need for the friendship drug.

Folks, just say "no" to the Jensens.

Gremlin

For New Year's we had Shay, David, Noel & Jared over for dinner and games. The girls decided to do appetizers for dinner. One of my favorite kind of meals by the way. I bought this loaf of sourdough for dipping. It wasn't until I began the prep work that I discovered this face looking back at me. I was in the middle of stuffed mushrooms so I popped 2 mushrooms stems in for eyes. Look how realistic my little old man is. I was so amused with myself, as is sadly often the case. I thought he was darling in a very creepy way.

PRIDE.

I just returned home from dinner out with the kiddos. At dinner, I asked Cristian about having his teacher back from maternity leave. "Did Ms. Land say anything about you reading over 4,000 minutes?" I queried. "No," Bug replied.

And because I am me, I pushed further. "So who has read the most minutes in your class," I asked, knowing full-well the answer. "Me," he said while stuffing refried beans in his mouth. He appetite is another blog entry.

"Wow, Bug that is so cool right?"

And this is where the parental pay-off comes in...so focus here....

"Yeah, I am really proud of myself for reading those minutes," he smoothly states.

"Yeah, you should be proud of yourself. You worked really hard. I am glad that you are proud of your efforts. That's great to realize good things you do."

I totally have this mom-thang down...

"Yeah, I am always proud of myself when I do something good. Like making a good choice or doing good things. I'm proud of myself when I read and earn new DS games. I am proud of my mom and dad. And, I appreciate mom and dad."

Holy Helen-a, who is this kid?! For real, he is just a miniature Carlos. Trust me, I get it that he isn't a normal kid.

Fear not, we got those lying around here too.

How do YOU watch the tele?

This child just amuses me all day, every day. I guess because the older 2 kids use their creativity in such different ways, so Mason's material is always fresh to me. The plastic hardware goggles have been sported for several days now. Evidently, they enhance his television viewing pleasure. It is similar to Cristian wearing swim goggles on his forehead for weeks after watching "Hellboy". I know, what kind of parent lets their child watch a movie titled "Hellboy"....I dunno, me I guess.

Ode to the Berry & Shay

Dear Shay, look at what you have done to me...Cora & I are pooping blue and blackberries. You have introduced me to another addiction. They are so positively divine, sweet, tart, and succulent. Cost Co has the best deal on these little humdingers. Oh, and Cristian is addicted to "Just Bunches" thank you very much. How is it that you make me spend money when you are three states away. Truly, you are a magical force.

Current Favorite Reads

"Madame Bovary" - I picked this book up from my dad's library during my last visit. He let's us pick out a book to add to our library whenever we visit. I positively hate Emma, the main character. She is an evil, selfish, kniving wife. I skipped to the end and found out that she dies. I hope she dies a slow, long painful death from an STD.

"Drummer Hoff " - This book is set in a battlefield with lots of rhyming and crazy colors and pictures. "..but Drummer Hoff fired it off!" That's Mason's line.

"The Daring Book for Girls" - Cora loves to flip through the pages and gawk at the pictures over and over. It's like a Nancy Drew manual. She keeps it on her nightstand and refers to it often, kind of like a Bible. Personally, I think she likes the book because of the glittery cover.

"When the Rooster Crowed" - Perry's favorite things are babies, kitties, doggies and singing. I think she likes this books because of the many farm animals.

"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" - We think this is the first 'chapter' book Cristian all the way through. I'm a bit surprised that he picked this as his favorite, but maybe not so much. After all, there is a giant squid in the book. This, along with several others Cristian has read made it's way through the family turnstyle: Cristian, then mom, and then dad.

Rightside Up

This was taken a couple of weeks ago when Jen took the kids to the park. I just thought it was a good picture.

...Missouri

this is my "cousin" Faith. she was the matron of honor at Erin and Jeff's wedding. we haven't seen each other is several years. she is as beautiful and classy as ever.


this was the view outside our window on our way to the wedding in the middle of nowhere, iowa. i was laughing almost hysterically because the car was on empty, gps finder said we were still miles from the gas station, and shay was wildly driving in the sticks. it was funny to me.


i thought the shadows pretty in mom's backyard of the huge trees behind me. i certainly don't have trees like this in texas. and they dropped thousands of leaves just asking to me raked by little 'ol me!


so kavers looks like he is posing for children's place here. he and mason got along very well together and played in the back yard while nana and I raked leaves for a couple of hours.


mason and i went to the lake to see if we could crack the ice with some old fashioned rock throwing. i was surprised to find only mild chipping from all our best attempts. a couple days later the ice was melted because the temps were in the 60's.


this kid makes me laugh. this was a candid shot for his mama. he is forever hamming it up whenever he gets the chance. i do believe one-on-one time with mommie for a week was good for him.


"umm, excuse me, i have a question." this is the phrase and pose we get every time he wears his charlie brown shirt. i bought this shirt for 2 reasons. first, it was super clearance - like 2 bucks or something. second, it was SO mason and SO kavers. i thought kavers could have it when mason outgrew it. they are both silly, quirky, odd kids.

Forever Friends

I am browsing through some old photos and found this little number. My older brother Brandon and I probably got along swimmingly when we were this age. All I remember are the fist battles when we both had muscle to throw around.

This was taken on Paco's citizenship ceremony day. Bug looks goofy with his loose tooth and Cora with her Oriental eyes (thank you daddy very much!). But these two critters are such good friends. They always have been and still are being 6 and 8. I look at Mason and Perry and they too are good friends with each other. The four of them love to play together - and fight together- but the "youngsters" (as Cristian calls them) enjoy one another when the seasoned, mature children are away at school. We really are so lucky to have 4 darling, loving children.

I notice I write these posts at nap time and after bedtime. Hmm, why aren't such blissful posts created during other times of the day?!!

4,000 Minutes!

This is where I get to brag about one my kids.

Cristian entered the 2nd grade in the fall and is beginning to read like crazy. I will admit, however, a HUGE motivator has been an idea that Jen had to get him a Nintendo DS if he read 4,000 minutes. She made this deal Cristian several months ago and Cristian has been reading like a maniac ever since. Once we realized that he was going to stick to his goal, Jen bought the DS for him during the 'after Thanksgiving sales' and it has been waiting for him ever since. Cristian knew we bought it and never asked once if he could get it early.

He would read at least 30 minutes most nights until about 2 or 3 weeks ago when I told him that he would get to his goal twice as fast if he read 60 minutes a night. Starting that night, he read 60 minutes a night until last night we tallied up his minutes and realized that he had just 73 minutes left to reach his goal of 4,000! Guess how many minutes he read last night...of course, the requisite 73 minutes. He was so excited when he finished. I was downstairs in the kitchen and once I heard the footsteps start I knew it was him. He turned the corner to the kitchen and let out a big, "I'm done! Can I get my DS?" It was 10:30 at night, but I couldn't say no. He had waited so long and read so many minutes that I couldn't resist. He stayed up for another hour and I couldn't be prouder.

Way to go Cristian!

SAY WHAT?!?

Carlos is the lovely donater to this addition this time. We were in bed last night after getting the munchkins all nestled. Cora made her first of usually three visits to announce something direly important that we hear. She gave us her message and then Carlos told her to come snuggle him for a bit. She gladly jumped in bed and began chattering away to Carlos. I zoned out in my current read.

She finally left to her room and Carlos watched her walk out with a huge grin on his face.

He turns to me and says, "I just love talking with her..."
"Oh yeah?" I replied.
"...when she's sane," he finished.

I had a good, deep laugh. That would be Cora in a nutshell. The drama - the superior highs and lows - in injustice of a 6-year-old life.

She is however, a keeper.

Marital Cravings

Dear Mister Cruz,

Yesterday your were trying on your jeans that you haven't worn for awhile. Oh, goodness you put on your 34 slim fit Mr. Cruz.

I understood what it was like for a moment to be a man.

You men are visual creatures. How awful to be a slave to your eyeballs. But the sight of you in those jeans on your hot little Mexican legs was fantastic!

And you better not delete/edit this post. It is important for our kids to know that their Mama thought their daddy was H-O-T!

Um, I wouldn't mind if you walked around the house awhile in noth'n but those jeans baby. You make me weak in the knees.

I love you. You will always be my luscious Mexican man!

Tu Vida

La Cucaracha

Yeah, so okay this IS my hand holding a cockroach. Oh goodness, I think of something Oprah said once about her aversion to getting married. Something to the fact as why would she marry anyone because of how she'd change and he'd change through the years and who is to say they'd stay together because they'd be completely different people in 50 years. As a side note I think her theory is a load of crap, BUT I often think how I have evolved in ten years of marriage. Case in point, me touching a cockroach.

So, this is Wulf's Christmas present to me. I guess I disappointed him. He was going for a screaming, yelling response from me. Sorry Wulf, but there's always next year.

I think roaches are repulsive. But this isn't an ordinary roach. I mean he's actually pretty in a way. He has a smooth exoskeleton and pretty orange/brown coloring, etc. He doesn't fly or move fast, he just sits there on ya. He is from Madagascar and is called a Hissing Cockroach because he hisses through his abdomen when threatened.

Oh, and we found out that he is actually a she. And I concluded that she is probably pregnant because that would be MY life right?

People keep them as pets which I don't want to do but we basically are. I mean who cares if there's is one less roach in the world? Not me, but how do I kill a 4-inch roach? It is going to squirt everywhere and crunch. Yuck. Should I just freeze it or what?

Any suggestions? And why is my life so random and weird? Why am I HOLDING a cockroach in my hand!?!

Sister-in-Sin

Dear Shay,

Today I went out to dinner with you. I must say you weren't much of a conversationalist. You didn't even have a food-O over the pad tai, with tofu I might add. Okay, since you weren't REALLY there I'll tell you the ins-&-outs of our meal. Even though it was quite chilly outside I had a hankering for a Thai iced tea. Good-bye word of wisdom. Shhh, it's our little secret! I even had the space cadet waitress who is so sweet. I asked her the ingredients for the tea and guess what baby - I got it!!!! That means in less than a week you and I will be sipp'n iced teas like mad women. You're not nursing and caffeine IS good for all my headaches right? I will play with the recipe here and hopefully have it perfected by next week. By the way, I drank two - one for each of us.

Oh, and to prove that this is actually a sign from God...I opened my fortune cookie at a stop light and this is what it said, "PEOPLE FIND IT DIFFICULT TO RESIST YOUR PERSUASIVE MANNER." That's got you, me and Thai iced tea written all over it!

See you soon.
Your sister-in-sin,
Jen

P.S. Our lucky numbers are 11 28 30 33 41 44 - whatever.

Our Christmas Manger

I thought we'd start a new tradition since we have children in abundance around here. I assigned roles to each kid while my stage hand, Carlos, designed their costumes. Perry was the angel who appeared to the Shepherds. She has called herself an angel ever since this event. Cora was Mary. She placed dibs on this immediately thinking she got the best part only to be disgruntled when I pulled out the angel card. Typical. Cristian was Joseph, Mason was a Shepherd. They put on a painful 3-minute performance for Paw-Paw, the Vance's, and the Pruetts(?). It was cute enough. Oh, and the Christ child was played by a preemie cabbage patch baby.

Enamel & Fairies

Well, my dear little Cora you are gone to school today and you have been on my mind. I wonder how happy and proud you are showing off your empty gap in your lower row of teeth. Are you thrilled about being in the coveted "Toothless Club" at school? This is important stuff in kindergarten. You worked so hard pulling that little calcium deposit out. I told you it was like having a baby because you and I appreciate dramatic flair. And since you worked so hard for that tooth I thought I would tell you the story behind Tooth Fairies.

You and Cristian already know that fairies can be male or female. And you know that they have some magical properties because of all the sparkle they leave behind after whisking away your teeth. But why do the fairies even want our old teeth? It seems so odd doesn't it?

Well, fairies are very delicate, fragile even. Not just because they are small and can be smashed to bits easily, but they are fragile in their hearts and in their feelings. Fairies are actually quite bothersome. They are always whining and complaining when they are away from Tooth-topia. They are no fun to be around in the least. Fairies are known to complain, weep, whine, nag. They never are pleasant or happy. But it isn't their fault - they are made that way. Well, they were such a miserable lot that eventually all the woodland creatures banished them to only live together far from where any could hear their negativity.

And so it went on this way for hundreds of years. Until, quite by accident, it was discovered that when a fairy held a human tooth their personality changed. They became pleasant, selfless, kind, courageous, happy. This discovery stirred the fairies into action. They organized themselves into teams, each responsible for different areas of the world. And each evening as sleep envelopes the land they set out to work. They ever so quietly sneak into bedrooms across the globe exchanging money for precious teeth.

Now teeth are made from a strong substance called enamel. Enamel is even stronger than your bones Cora. This rare material is what changes the fairies personalities. Enamel give them joy, courage, hope, kindness. It doesn't do this for humans. But the fairies cleverly found out that this enamel is magic to them. They collect all the children's teeth and fly home to Tooth-topia. In this dazzling white city, there are castles, buildings, stores, and homes ALL made from one thing - TEETH! The fairies have figured out that when they are surrounded by children's teeth they are much happier. Some fairies choose not to be tooth fairies. They are not allowed to live in Tooth-topia if they are unwilling to work as all the others do. They are required to live elsewhere. They never become happy, helpful fairies. I fact, in time they become only selfish, greedy, and bothersome until they loose their fairy status and turn into wasps or mosquitoes.

My little Cora, your first tooth has been a great contribution to Tooth-topia. I am confidant that all the good fairies marvel at how beautiful your first tooth is, how strong the enamel is that keeps them happy and carefree. Fairies will build your tooth into a special tooth monument where it will be gazed upon and marveled at for all to see.

It's Coming!!

So tomorrow is the BIG day! Tomorrow our family will be sealed in the San Antonio Temple! The foster and adoption process takes you through a myriad of emotions and scenarios. We were always on some part of the roller coaster of emotions for the past 29 months. But I must admit that once we knew Mason and Perry were with us to stay, all I could think of was the temple sealing.

They were returned to their biological mother a while back. That was a long and tedious separation. About two weeks before they left I couldn't take it anymore. I don't even remember where the kids were, maybe they were in a visit with their mom because I know I approached their CPS worker and told her I needed to talk to her privately. She took me to her office. I let loose. The tears were running fluidly. Despite my flood, I gave a logical defense to my feelings. I told her that I had a lot of concerns - things that I knew mom wasn't able to do for the kids. There were things I didn't feel she completed for the well-being of the kids. This was a ridiculous platform. CPS gently told me they understood my concerns, but they were still being returned. I moved on to how confusing and scary this was going to be for Perry and Mason, how attached they were to Cora and Bug, to the both of us. Again, empathy, but a no go. I finally pulled out the big guns. What was largest on my mind and imprinted everywhere in my heart. "Emily," I said, "I am telling you that this is wrong. These kids belong in our family. They belong with us. Carlos and I knew it the first night they were with us. They just fit."

It was a very confusing time for me when they left. I had to honor the law. I knew the laws were there to protect the masses. I knew we were helpless. It was futile to fight against all this. I knew when they left that was the end of it. It was so hard to wrestle and compartmentalize all my feelings and intuition. It had all felt too right. And here it had all unraveled. I do what I am expert at and just didn't think about it. I just didn't deal and moved forward.

Five weeks later our foster agency calls up. Angela is unusually chipper. She always was when she had a placement for us. "Guess what Jen?" she gushed. "I have a couple of kiddos for ya!" You need to imagine the thickest southern drawl possible when thinking of Angela. I groaned inside at the thought of not one, but two new kids in the home right now. "Really," I replied. "Yeah," she's about to explode, "and their names are Tony and Chula!!" That was the beginning of the rest of all our lives. They came home that evening looking disheveled, bitten up, and dirty. But they were home. I will spend the rest of my life filling in all their holes, teaching them what family is, letting them know how magnificent they are.

Tomorrow is the offical beginning of our forever.

SAY WHAT?!?

Do you see the little critter on the left? This is my nephew Ian Tyler. He is a gem of a kid. He has a deep, serious voice laced with slight speech problems. When he speaks he often has something thoughtful or insightful, especially to a 4-year old, to say. He doesn't waste his words. So the other day he decided to educate his aunt about ants. It wasn't a topic of discussion but maybe it was in his little universe. He tugged at me and kept saying over and over, "Tia, tia, tia..." (That's Spanish for aunt.) I finally looked down at him.
"What Ian?"
"Tia, sugar ants eat sugar!"
"Wow, is that what they really eat?"
"Yes," he replied authoritatively. "And fire ants eat fire!"
I had a good chuckle.
He is a darn sweet kid.

Picture Review of 2008

We didn't send out a greeting card for Christmas so this my way of updating all about the happenings of our family (and to show off my great family).

They're back!!! It's a good thing...a very good thing.

May

Mason and Perry had been returned to their natural mother

for about a month, but were returned to our home in the 

beginning of May.  Miracles DO happen.

Spring Recital

April

The three cousins participated in dance lessons for

several months.  Their perfomance was in April and,

of course, they all did great!

Summer Vacation in California

June

I have to say, this is probably my favorite picture

of our family.

Traveling to California

June

Cruz Family at Chuy's Wedding

June

Fourth of July in Missouri

July

We had a great time with the Carters/Stewarts for

the Fourth of July.  A lot of time in the water doing

some fishing, swimming, and little water skiing.

Long Weekend in Galveston

August

We visited Noel at her place (when she had a place)

in Galveston.  We spent a day at Moody Gardens and

some time at the beach.  We even got to visit a turtle

sanctuary on the island.

Mason's Birthday Party

August

We had the fire department come by for Mason's birthday

and the kids loved it.  They got to crawl all over the fire

truck and play with all the knobs and gadgets. My favorite

part was when they watered my lawn...free of charge.

First Day of School!

August

Kids grow up way too fast? Cristian going to 2nd grade,

Cora to kinder and Mason to pre-K.

Cristian's Baptism

September

Cristian's baptism was a memorable experience for

our whole family.

First time victims of Toilet Papering.

October

Jen had recently been called to a youth calling at church,

so I guess this was our welcome.

Halloween

October

Trick or Treating with the Vances.

Adoption Day!

November

We had a lot of great family events this year, but this

was the best.  Mason and Perry were officially made

Cruzes on that day.

Day at the Zoo

November