2014 has come to an end....LET'S RING IN 2015!!

HOLA MY LITTLE BLOG!! who knew it would be MONTHS since i posted something. life has come speeding by and it has been a whirlwind of a year!!! really, it feels like i have been in a FOG this year...could be my FIBRO and what they call FIBRO FOG, i guess any excuse i will take it! right?

Well, this year my boys turned ALEX 12, MATTHEW 10 and JOSHUA 7....these boys keep growing and growing and THANK YOU GOD they do! who knew that i would have such amazing boys and that they are just so wonderful and loving....they have grown into such beautiful and loving boys...they show us each day how much they know that they are LOVED by us their parents and how much we want them to know GOD'S LOVE....that HE is the most important person in the world and that they should love and honor him every moment of their lives...

This year we have had so many things happen to us. we bought a new BOAT for our family...this boat we call MATTHEW's boat because it is a PONTOON and that gives him the ROOM to roam around the boat so that he can go on the water. he had not been able to be on the water in our other smaller boat because he had no where to go. but now with this bigger boat, he is more comfy and he LOVES being back on the water!! we also love being able to take more family out on the boat with us.



MATT got his new KAYE WALKER and he has started to do his walking and getting stronger and doing SOOO GOOD! we are so proud of all his new accomplishments! He has been walking to and from the bathroom and also up and down the stairs....soooo proud of him and how much better he is getting on walking!! <3

EASTER 2014 was really a nice family time with so many people there joining us at our home. The kids enjoyed being there and having all their cousins there to crack cascarones on each other! The food was amazing and all the goodies you just can't beat!!



Matthew started in a BASEBALL LEAGUE called the MIRACLE LEAGUE OF SAN ANTONIO....he was on the DODGERS team and boy, he LOVES it soooooo much! he has such a good time hitting home runs and being on his team....he played 2 seasons...the spring and the fall and he always gets so happy and excited when we pull into the parking lot....such a HAPPY BOY!! GO DODGERS!!






ALEX AND JOSH have also started their 3rd year of CYO BASEBALL THRU PRINCE OF PEACE! This will be Alex's last year playing baseball...this year he was with the ROYAL TITAN'S....and Josh was with the PADRES...and it was the first time he was with an all male team!! no more T-BALL for him!!! He's in coaches pitch and he did so well this year! Both boys did amazing! so proud of both of them!!






This year, we ended up going to GREAT WOLF LODGE for our summer vacation. we had soon much fun and soon enjoyed being with our little family, splashing around and just getting wet. what memories our boys will have of this time with each other.....they are just young for a little while and then they grow up and don't want to be with us anymore, so we have to enjoy. Life is amazing and we have been so happy that GOD has granted us each other...

Towards the end of this year, we have continued to be BLESSED with good health....ALL OF US, THANK YOU JESUS!! Matt has done amazing and we thank Him everyday for every moment...just watching all of us growing and getting healthy and happy is amazing....

So, as we closed 2014 and are now in 2015, we can only PRAY that we continue to grow and give THANKS to GOD for all the blessings in our life and Pray we have continued GOOD HEALTH and happiness...in HIM!!! BLESSING TO ALL!

GOODBYE 2012....HAPPY 2013!!!

WOW...2013 CAME AND WENT IN A FLASH!!!! hard to believe that a whole year went by soooo quickly!! my cousin and i last night were talking about ONE WORD that would describe 2012 and then one word we WANT to describe 2013...i came up with for 2012...DAZED....for 2013...it's a double edge word=BLESSED/FAITH...i'll explain each one...
FOR 2012...the year of MANY ups and downs....for me DAZED is the word of the year because sooooo much happened to me personally in that year...and i don't know if it was because of my pain medication or just everything personally that was happening to me that i was constantly in a DAZE...things that i normally did such as keep up with matthew's appts, meds, numerous phone calls that i NEED to make and just generally all the stuff that comes with having a special needs little guy i was putting off, FORGETTING (a BIG no-no) and just NOT DOING THEM...it was crazy when BEFORE i had been soooo organized, had my book with aaaallllll my notes and such and this year....uh...not so much!! i can honestly say, i have NO RECORD of names i have spoken to when calling for important things or any NOTES other than those on little bits of papers all over the house that i know i can't put together!!! :( so not MEEEE!!! AND THEN with the homeschooling front...i have taken such a BACK SEAT to it and pretty much let ALEX do what he needs to do and nothing else...we have been soooooo busy with appts for matthew, appts for ME, and playdates/extra classes for ALEX that we are constantly on the GO GO GOOOO!!! it's crazy!! but this year has been full of BLESSINGS as i CONSTATLY say about my life...even with all the crazy and dazed feeling, i STILL KNOW and FEEL like i am BLESSED!!! GOD IS SOOOO GOOD and has ALWAYS been in me, with me... He is at the START of me and everyday is such a BLESSING no matter what the day brings...i feel like no matter what, because i have GOD in my life, it will be a BLESSED DAY!!!! :)

this year, my children, THANK YOU GOD, have grown sooooooo much!!! my ALEX turned 10 this year (double digits, baby!) and he is now in 5th grade! he is a couple of inches shorter than me and keeps getting BIGGER!! he is sooooooo smart!! REALLY not an exaggeration or mommy prejudice! :) he has such an INCREDIBLE mind and such an AMAZING memory! he can recall things that i don't even remember and he has to remind us about it. and wowowowowow, on his schooling...watching him figure out all his subjects and KNOW how to do it and also, impressing the HECK out of us when a cousin 2 years older than him, bringing over some HOMEWORK for school (math) and the cousin was having a problem and didn't understand the math and alex coming over, casually looking it over in 2 secs, KNOWING THE ANSWER and answering CORRECTLY!!! crazy! and him HELPING that cousin with the rest of his work! and then same with other subjects he had brought over!! MY BIG BOY!!!! and he started CYO BASEBALL this year with our church and watching him GROW from NEVER having played ANY sport before to joining a team that was ESTABLISHED, intergrating himself and really coming from never played baseball (batted/catching balls/RUNNING/throwing balls, etc) to after the season, LOVING it and really knowing how to PLAY the game and do everything he NEEDED to do without being scared!!! my, how he has GROWN!!! and in his FAITH, he is AMAZING!! he LOVES GOD and he probably knows MORE about the bible and our FAITH than james and i combined!! so proud of our little boy!!

and then there is MATTHEW....he turned 8 this year...another miracle in our life!! wowow...time has FLOWN with this little boy too..watching him get BIGGER, is just so amazing and we MARVEL at everything he has DONE and is LEARNING!!! this year, he made his FIRST COMMUNION!!! wooohooo! we are sooo proud of him and what an ACCOMPLISHMENT that is! and he is now in 3rd grade and is doing WELL with his amazing teacher. unfortunately, this year has brought FUSTRATION to him which in turns causes him to lash out sometimes because we DON'T UNDERSTAND!!! :( he does not do it often but he gets sooo frustrated! poor guy! can't wait and i PRAY he will either learn to talk or sign or use his TALKER! :) he has taken off on EATING like a champ orally and has gained weight. he KNOWS HOW TO SPELL HIS NAME PHONICALLY and if you give him the letters, he can spell it that way too! he is also learning to READ and knows all his ABC, NUMBERS, PHONICS, SHAPES, OBJECTS, ETC and we are just crazy proud of all he has done!! on the flip side, HEALTH WISE, it has been an UP AND DOWN YEAR...seizure wise, it was 27.5 MONTHS without seizures until dec 9th when he had one at 0430 and lasted for at least 20 mins...so, our count down is back down to 1....his LUNGS have been a BIG PROBLEM this year with CONSTANT illness, wheezing, junky, on crazy amounts of STEROIDS, TREATMENTS, antibiotics, doctors appts, etc ALLLLL YEAR LONG!! :( NOT a good year for his health...he is doing well with his CPAP, and through all the illness, he is STILL OUR HAPPY BOY!!! so proud of him!

and our SURPRISE BLESSING JOSHUA...he turned 5 this year and it has been a BLESSED year for him!! he is such a HAPPY boy and full of life and mischief! we were sooooo BLESSED that he was our little surprise. he is our BABY and just watching him grow up is bittersweet because we know there will be no more after him!! :( even though i wanted another little one but GOD has other plans and that is ok. but he is our little sports guy. he LOVES to be playing ball...this year, he started CYO BASKETBALL and he was soooo good!! he is still so good and one of the better players! :) and then he also played CYO BASEBALL T-BALL!! awwww....watching him out there is such a JOY!! :) AND this year he is in KINDERGARDEN!! and he is learning all his phonics and such and is doing REALLY good in his schooling....soooo proud of this little guy!!!

James is doing GREAT!!! he has a GREAT position at work and his working sooooo hard and doing SOOOO GOOD!! we are so proud of all the hard work he does for our family! he is now also a COACH for CYO sports so he is active with the boys and their practices and games...he is in his ELEMENT with all of them and enjoys being out there with the boys and the KIDS! it's been a crazy year for all the traveling and away time the military has had him doing this year....and next year promises more of the same but it is ALLLLLL for PROMOTION as he makes his way to E-8!!! so we will take that!! he soooo deserves all of that and MORE because he is one of the BEST EMPLOYEES the military has and that is not just a PROUD WIFE talking either!! :) he has gotten a lot of recognition from his superiors and we are really just soooo proud of him!!! and this year HE EARNED HIS 20 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE FOR OUR GREAT COUNTRY!!! wowowowowowow....what an ACCOMPLISHMENT!! again, so proud of him!! unfortunately, it is not ACTIVE years so we still have a little over 8 years left to reach 20 YEARS ACTIVE DUTY FULL RETIREMENT years!! and that is what he is working for....we PRAY that the US ARMY continue to keep him employed!! we are SOOOOOO BLESSED to be ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY!!! THANK YOU GOD!!!

AS FOR MEEEEEE....hmmmmmmm...it has been as always a BLESSED YEAR!!! this year, my pain in my arm had unfortunately gotten WORST...sooo bad that i couldn't even shake hands, play wii or any other activities that required me to use my right arm WITHOUT EXTREME PAIN!!! i had complained to my DOCTOR (dx TENNIS ELBOW (for the 5+ year), i had complained to my rheumitologist also and gotten a STEROID SHOT and told it was TENNIS ELBOY (for the 2+ year) and put BACK into PHYSICAL THERAPY (JAN 2012)...and during my evaluation the physical therapist found a BALL on my forearm and told me that that didn't feel right and i needed to get an MRI....and what a LIFE SAVER THAT WAS!!! :) because, after FINALLY getting an MRI (IN APRIL), it was found that i had a TUMOR and was IMMEDIATELY s (within 4 days) was being seen at the ORTHOPEDIC ONCOLOGY DEPARTMENT AT SAMMC!!! :( yep, they didn't know what type of tumor but they felt that it COULD BE CANCER....and ultimately IT WAS SYNOVIAL SARCOMA===CANCER....i really never thought i would ever have that DX but there it was....and the doctor was concerned enough that he needed it out NOW....so on JULY 31ST, 2012, it was roomed and thru the GRACE OF GOD, because of HIS BLESSINGS, they were able to get the WHOLE THING OUT due to the MIRACLE that it was ENCAPSULATED so i didn't have to have CHEMOTHERAPY/RADIATION!!! PRAISE GOD! but now, i have to have PET SCANS every 3 months and see the doctor ever 3 months for 2 years and then move on 2 twice a year for 3 years then yearly for the rest of my life!! :( and now i know WHY we could not get PREGNANT again even when it was timed right on etc....GOD HAD OTHER PLANS!! :) so, again, BLESSING BLESSING BLESSINGS!!! other than that, just a regular crazy, DAZED YEAR!!!

AND FOR THIS YEAR, 2013 my word(s) of the year would be FAITH/BLESSED....WHY 2? BECAUSE I HAVE FAITH, I AM BLESSED.....I AM BLESSED TO HAVE FAITH!! GOD will be utmost in my life and MY FAITH will be front and center. i pray i will learn more about GOD, learn more ABOUT MY FAITH and just get closer to that which has LOVED ME UNCONDITIONALLY, that has BLESSED ME AND MY FAMILY, that who has GIVEN ME SO MANY REASONS TO BE HAPPY!!!!! and that would be GOD! i am going to devote this year and ALWAYS to learning more about GOD and about my faith....I LOVE LOVE LOVE HIM!!!

sooooo, that is it....2012 is gone and 2013 is here...i will plan to make this year a BLESSED year and a YEAR OF FAITH....this year will GOD WILLING bring a new blessing in my brothers life.....a BABY!!!! and we will GOD WILLING be going to see her and my family and i will be traveling to HAWAII IN MAY!!! WOOOHOOOO!!! yes, all 5 of us!! wowowowowow....we will keep trucking along and just enjoying life, loving my family!!!

GOD'S BLESSINGS TO EVERYONE AND FOR THE YEAR TO COME!!!! love ya'll!!!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!

THANK YOU to all the MILITARY NEAR AND FAR for your services especially to all my family and friends that have served in the miliatry!! my beautiful HUBBY that we are soooooo proud to support and LOVE!!! THANK YOU, BABE!!!

onto my dad...well, i got a phone call from HOSPICE that told me that my dad had cancer in his stomach and liver....he does not have many days to live!! wowow...very hard to hear....but he was threatening to leave and go HOME but there is no one to take care of him!!! i can only PRAY TO GOD that he realizes that and he can go to a facility that will care for him....wowow...i am so sad and am in shock....

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL....

wow, we have been having some FUN in our home! we have just been ENJOYING having james home with us and just spending time with him! after a good night sleep for all of us, we woke up the next day (Christmas EVE) and decided we needed to go SHOPPING!!! yep, we did just that! it was fun...james wanted to buy some gifts for his kids and we needed to just be together....so we did some SERIOUS SERIOUS shoping!! YAYAYAYAY...it was just like old times....us, just out having fun and doing NORMAL things! we also went to his FAVORITE store and we looked around there for a while (BASS PRO SHOPS)...he wanted to buy some gifts from there too! well, that night, we had a GREAT TIME because we had a VERY small EVE PARTY at the house for our nieces and nephew, sil & her hubby, my mil & sil...we had some TAMALES, chili, rice and other yummies!! it was really nice and everyone was just happy that james was HOME! after doing some eating, the kids and all of us made our COOKIES for SANTA! that was fun, something we started LAST year and they really enjoyed making them, decorating them, and taking them home with them to put out for santa!! it was awesome! and that night, our DEAR WONDERFUL SIL, saved our SANITY by staying with us and helping us by WRAPPING OUR GIFTS FOR US!! if she had not stayed and helped us, it would have taken us until the WEE hours of the morning...as it was, with she and i doing the bulk of it and james helping out some (he is not very good at it) we did not finish unitl after 1am!!!! soooo THANK YOU!!! we truely appreciate what you did for us that day!! YOU ARE THE BEST!

Christmas day was everything it was suppose to be....our family TOGETHER....we got up in the morning and the boys were sooooo excited to see if santa had come...and when they walked down the stairs and saw that he HAD......they were soooo excited! so were we! to see the look on their faces was just AWSESOME! well, before we could open our presents, we did our tratitional thing and SANG "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to JESUS and told him THANK YOU and that WE LOVE HIM...then they got around and OPENED THEIR GIFTS!! i know, i said that i would not BUY them too much this year but we found an excuse to ALWAYS buy them SOMETHING....so they made out like BANDITS!! it was just FUN to watch their eyes light up with joy....and james described the scene in our living room as the scene from A CHRISTMAS STORY where there is paper EVERYWHERE....that was our room! but it was AWESOME! afterwards, we had a party there at our home and we had SOOOOO MANY people that showed up! we made TURKEY, GRAVY, STUFFING, CORN, MAC & CHEESE, MASH POT, GREENBEAN CASSEROLE, ROLLS and soooo much more! it was just nice to be around family and have them feast with us!! we are just SOOOO THANKFUL and feel SOOOOO BLESSED!! here are some pics of our days:

OUR BOYS ON CHRISTMAS DAY!


DADDY WITH HIS 3 BOYS....


GRANDMA WITH HER YOUNGEST GRANDCHILD...


PICTURE OF CUTENESS....taken by ALEX...LOOK AT THOSE CHEEKS!

playing checkers with dad...

what a BEAUTIFUL SIGHT it was too see my son ALEX playing checkers with james in IRAQ! how did we do this? well, we caught james on YAHOO CHAT and i saw that we could play checkers and WALA! they played a game of checkers and alex won!! :) and boy, if you could have SEEN alex face as he played checkers with his dad....it made me CRY because he was just laughting soooooo hard when dad would make a move and then type something on the chat like, "your turn, son" or "hey son! you trapped me" or whatever!! he LOVED IT!!! i wish i had thought to take a picture of it! it was truly beautiful! and THANK GOD for modern technology!! they were having fun playing CHECKERS ACROSS THE WORLD!!! and it was just soooo awesome to see! he was just so happy playing with dad...

anyway, life is going well....today, we FINISHED putting up the tree....it was bitter sweet because james was not here. but it was done with soooo much love for my FAMILY and alex and matthew helped put up all the ornaments! alex LOVES to turn on the tree and watch the lights....matthew just checks it out....he is being good and not getting into it!! YET!! joshua still doesn't know what to make of it!

we are kinda sick AGAIN! MATTHEW has not gotten over it and it has been over a week since he got sick and then now alex and i are sneezing, coughing and just not feeling well....joshua has got a stuffy nose....i just PRAY that it goes away soon!

james should be comeing home SOON GOD WILLING!!! i am soooooo excited and happy! it is about 25 days till he comes home....I AM COUNTING THE DAYS!! those 2 weeks are going to FLY but we are going to just spending TONS of just family time...i can't wait!

we have a lot of different christmas parties to attend this year! first is the party for james work, then the mended little hearts, and then the christus santa rosa one!! i just love this time of year!!
ok, i hope everyone is keep warm! i will try to post some pics soon!!

HALLOWEEN COSTUME....

THE BOYS...

OUR FUTURE CARDIOLOGIST.....

OUR FUTURE SUPER HERO....

AND OUR LITTLE GOBBLER....

this turkey outfit my mom made for ALEX when he was a baby 2002 and all my boys have worn it for thier first halloween!!

PUMPKIN PATCH

at the pumpkin patch...

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

hola everyone!! i hope everyone is doing GREAT and had a NICE 4th!! as for us, well, we doing fine....just missing daddy! i guess that will always be our answer! but really, all is goind well, THANK YOU GOD!

well, people have been asking about james....james is doing FINE, again, just missing his family. he has been officially mobilized for a MONTH now! wow, it goes by fast THANK YOU GOD! on his training, they are doing a WHIRLWIND of training right now...non stop! they usually start at about 4AM and end about 9pm.....and he is TIRED! they are doing stuff like learning how to take down a man (phyisically), firearms and also he ended up getting MACED on sunday and just YESTERDAY he was finally able to open his eyes normally! he said it was NOT a pleasant experience! he also said that after they got maced, they had to run an obstical course (about 6 different obsticals (taking down a prisinor, hand to hand etc)) BEFORE they got to wash their eyes!! yeah, he was HURTING! he said he physically STOPPED BREATHING when the water hit his eyes but apparently that is normal! but other than that, he has been just sleeping on his hours "off" and trying to watch movies! he took his dvd player and just asked me to send off the bose speakers...i am happy he has THAT!!! he has enjoyed the care package i sent with some pics of the boys and some goodies!!! i will get another one going soon so that he can get his speakers!!

well, alex is doing GREAT!! i am SOOOOO PROUD of him! yesterday, while we were at GRANDMA's, matthew had just finished his tube feeding and grandma had picked up matthew and was kinda bouncing him on her knee and playing with him when alex turned around from where he was playing with his cuz and said, "grandma, don't bounce him so much because he just finished eating! he might reflux!!!" WOWOWOW, i was just SOOOOOOO PROUD OF HIM! it made my heart just BURST with pride because he was taking care of his brother! just like that, just said it! wow....he is also doing better with brother....he is always loving towards him but he is being ESPECIALLY nice to him now...he lost his FIRST TOOTH on monday RIGHT before we went to the DENTIST!! he was sooooooo happy and he got his first visit from the TOOTHFAIRY too! :) his first TWO grown up teeth are in too! he is ready to lose one more too! james was really sad that he missed his first toothfairy experience....he will have to have some serious dental work next month though....we also went to the drs today because he has a GROWTH on his neck (looks like a blood blister) and the dr is sending us to a DERMATOLOGIST because he said it might be an ANGIOMA and it will need to be seen...that is kidna scary for us!! so please, just say a prayer that all goes well!

matthew is doing REALLY GREAT!! although, he is having some more seizures recently! within the last 3 weeks he has had about 15 episodes (today he had a 6 min one!) but he is doing well. he has enjoyed his aquatic therapy session but HATES HIS OT sessions!!!! he IMMEDIATELY starts to whine and to get REALLY SLEEPY...not wanting to work or anything!! he is not funny! but with his PT, he LOVES it and he walks up and down the hallway and of course in the POOL!!! today, he crawled up TEN STAIRS at the house!! james reminded me to do this instead of carrying him (which is getting REALLY hard to do) and we did and HE DID IT!! soooo proud of him! all i did was steady him. YIPPPEEE!! i feel he is getting so much stronger! THANK YOU GOD! this month he is going to be VERY BUSY this month with SIX doctors appts PLUS his 2 times a week OT & PT!! it should be interesting! we are just PRAYING that he keeps HEALTHY and also those seizures go AWAY!! but he is doing well. we are just marveling at his STRENGTH and also how smart he is. he learned to nod Yes & NO when appropriate. before everything was NO unless we prompted him to nod yes! so now, he tells us Yes & no!! that is EXCITING! and he is able to stack blocks without knocking it over (before he would not be able to release without knocking the blocks over)...he is also very verbal on what he wants and WHEN he wants it. we are always telling him to "use his words" which are coming along nicely! he is also able to use his PINCHER grasp better now. slowly but surely....THANK YOU GOD for EVERY little accomplishment!

as for me, i am doing GREAT!! i gained my FIRST 2 lbs of pregnancy at my last appt! i am sooooo happy that that is ALL i have gained! i feel GREAT except that now i am getting TIRED if i don't get my noon time lay down. it has been a GREAT pregnancy and i have been SOOOOOO BLESSED! i just wish james was hear to enjoy all the BIG movements that joshua does now or let him SEE joshua moving around....so far, all the test have gone wonderful and the 2 FETAL ECHOS have shown everything in the heart looking good. i passed my GESTATIONAL testing and everything and all the blood work has come back great! THANK YOU GOD! he is moving around and still kicking. i LOVE to feel him move around. i am 31 weeks along now! wowowow...they plan to schedule the c/s the LAST WEEK OF AUGUST!! we are HOPING for that monday so that we would have a BETTER chance of james being able to be there! i am getting EXCITED and ANXIOUS about it all! for me, the not KNOWING if i will have NURSING COVERAGE for matthew during the days that i am in the hospital is what is the HARDEST thing going right now. i don't KNOW if they will be able to staff those 48-72 hours of my hospital stay and without james here....what do i do? you can't just BABYSIT matthew...he has too many medical issues such as g-tube feedings, medications, SEIZURES etc!! my MIL will take care of alex for sure, but is unable to take care of matthew...i also have 2 GREAT WONDERFUL FRIENDS that said they would help and LEARN matthews care just in case they can't find some one but i still just PRAY PRAY PRAY that the agency will be able to find some nurse to work those hours...i think that is what is causing me the MOST stress right now. they have about 2 months to find someone BUT because until the 16th when i have my next appt, i will not be able to get a CLEAR date for the c/s, i can't tell them EXACTLY when it will be!!! that will STILL get them at least a month and a half time to get someone...anyway, i will leave it in GOD'S HANDS....

well, that is it for the update! i will try to up load some GREAT pics of the boys on our blog (www.blessingsinmylife.blogspot.com) i have some GREAT ones of the boys! probably by the end of this weekend i will get it done!

we hope everyone is doing GREAT! it has been a just a whirlwind of appts and this month will be THAT MUCH MORE BUSY! we are just enjoying everyday, talking with daddy on the phone and just trying to stay busy!!

well, take care everyone and GOD BLESS!

FIESTA WEEK!!!

yep, it is FIESTA WEEK in our home town! 10 days of tons and tons of CELEBRATIONS and FIESTA'S!!! james will be in and out all next week so we decided to take in a couple of fiesta's this weekend!! today, we went to FIESTA ESPECIAL which is a festival dedicated to children/people with special needs like our little boy!! and BOY did we have a BLAST!!! we LOVED that all the games and rides were geared for KIDS!! i mean, even the little games were FUN games!!! alex and matthew had a blast playing on them and then matthew and alex were able to get on some rides and just have a GOOD OL' TIME!!!! when matthew got on, i just wanted to CRY!! he looked soooo happy and i KNOW i must have been grinning like a silly person!!! it is just sooooo awesome to see my boys HAPPY!! here are some GREAT PICS!!

MATTHEW, ALEX & DADDY on the helicopter!! (they didn't have an army one! :(


matthew on the FIRE ENGINE ride!! he loved these rides!


ALEX having a BLAST at the fun house!! he finally was brave enough to go on his own! couldn't get him OFF of it!


OMG alex LOVED this boucy slide obstacle course!! he must have gone about 10 times!


anyway, we all enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to do it AGAIN tomorrow!!!! i think we will be going to the FT SAM fiesta!! it is really low key and just a good family outing!

touduz market.....YUMMMMM!!!

hola everyone!! almost HAPPY EASTER to all!! we are FREEZING here in good ol' san antonio!!! it is really COLD AND WET!! we are hovering about 40 degrees....now, to some, that is NOTHING but to us, well, just YESTERDAY, it was high in the 70's and my whole family were wearing SHORTS AND TSHIRTS!! i had to get the jackets and long sleeve shirts out!! i can't remember the last cold day here but it must have been at LEAST a month ago or more!!

anyway, today, my WONDERFUL hubby brought me to TOUDUZ MARKET!! now, to those people in the san antonio area that don't know it, it is like a SAM's club BUT geared towards the HISPANIC population/taste and fiesta kinda of parties!!! you buy in bulk just a lot of different kind of foods....anyway, i have been BEGGING my hubby to take me since right before spring break but finally, we went today and i bought something i have been craving......CHINESE CANDY (2LBS WORTH), CHAMOY, & A TON OF THE CHAMOY IN THE LIQUID!!!! man, do you feel the teeth enamel just melting away?!?! all this stuff is SALTY AND GOOD!!!!! with some popcorn or a soda or maybe a pickle and lemon.....good stuff!!! not everyone here has ever tried this stuff but where i grew up we LIVED on this stuff!!! i craved this with both my boys and it finally kicked in with baby g!! soooo, i am set for a WHILE now!!! i can't wait to DIG IN!!!

well, matthew has had THREE sz in the last 4 days....hmmm....i have been feeling like he was going to have them for a while now and i guess it might happen...i am going to call the dr on monday and find out what is going to happen...they are called BREAK THRU SIEZURES...he might have to increase on of his 3 meds...GOD WILLING not! anyway, any prayers would be appreciated....

anyway, tomorrow, we are going to church and to my inlaws....don't know how it will go because there is drama in the family....but whatever...we are there to see g-ma, g-pa and hopefully the kids!! we will be having turkey with all the trimmings...YUM! don't know if we will have the hunt tomorrow or not...it is suppose to rain!!!

wow....can't say i am to comfy...

well, what to say except that the SEIZURES ARE BACK....it was sooooooooo nice of them to be GONE and now to have them back is just sooooo fustrating and worrisome..what to do? what to think? and they are happening almost EVERY NAP!! on

12/25 he had 1.5 min sz
12/26 he had 1.5 min sz started him on klonopin
12/28 he had 1.5 min sz """"""""""""""""""
12/30 he had TWO sz 2 min sz """""""""""""""""
12/31 he had TWO szs back to back........and this happen again while taking a nap and this time he has not been ABLE to go to sleep!!! he has had NO NAP so that means TONIGHT should be a BIG DEAL...when they are really tired, the threshold is usually lower for sz to happen soooo....i don't know WHAT to expect!

well....this is getting scary and i know when i call the dr on tues, he will either change his meds or increase SOMETHING if there is anything to increase....

soooo, we had to change our plans...we were having people over tonight for the new years but because we are really worried that matthew will have a "big" one, we had to call it off and instead they are having it at another family house...that was very disappointing for james cause the whole family would be here....so tonight will have to be an EARLY night with us going over for maybe an hour to drop off the stuff we were already having HERE and then just stay that long and come right back home...

i am so sad for my little man...he has gone thru sooooo much and to see this happen AGAIN.....just when you think all is well......

anyway, any thoughts and prayers for this little guy will ALWAYS be appreciated WHOLE HEARTEDLY from us!! you know how we SO believe in the power of prayer!! :) THANKS GUYS!

ANYWAY, HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!! WE HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SAFE ONE!!

can't do with out some excitement!!

well, i sure hope everyone had a GREAT holiday!!! as for us, well, we actually had a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS DAY!!! :) sooooo happy! but there was some drama yesterday while matthew took his nap...james and i acutally talked about the possibility of him having a seizure while we were at grandmas....i was bummed because should he have had it we would have most likely ended up at WHMC and i was not to thrilled with that possibility....don't get me wrong it is a GREAT hospital but they don't KNOW matthew....anyway, sunday night his pulse dropped into the 40's and james let me know this...well, when he finally went down for a nap, i was determined to watch him and sure enough, within him going down about 10 mins, BAM!! he started to have a facial seizure and it was BAD!!! he also turned a nice shade of blue...and where was all my stuff (pulse ox & oxygen?!) not near me!! so yelled to james to get me the stuff and i was trying desperately to wake him up and couldn't....i was REALLY REALLY REALLY sure that we were headed to the hospital...well, i asked all the kids (my neices & nephews who were standing by the door looking scared, poor kiddos) i asked them to come over and talk to matthew, and they DID!!! MADE ME SOOOO PROUD! they came over and got on the bed and all of them started to talk to him and poke at him until he got mad, woke up and started to cry and stop having a seizure and went back to sleep!!! by this time, james came in with the pulse ox & oxygen but he was back to sleep and after checking his o2 sats, they were just fine...soooooo, that was our excitment for the day!! it sure did freak me OUT!!!

and then today, tuesday, he did it AGAIN!! i finally had to call his neuro and ask him should i just use the diastat when he starts havng one and he said no, to give him one of his KLONOPIN tablets after a "cluster' seizure and just see what he does...if he has ANOTHER seizure, then i am to administer the diastat....well, i gave him his KLONOPIN and that seem to do it....

sooooo, we are BACK ON THAT ROLLER COASTER....we had gotten a break there for a bit but it seems that was not to be for long!! just enough to get our break and a deep breath and get right back on......i LOVED MY BREAK!!! :) sure wish it had been a bit longer though....

MERRY CHRISTMAS....& HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Hello Family & Friends!!

ho-ho-ho!!! MMMEEERRRRYYYY CHRISTMAS!!! wowowowowow...what a WONDERFUL year we have had....the good, the bad....we are HERE and we are ALIVE!! isn't that all that matters?!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! We wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!!

Wow…can you believe that 2006 is almost OVER?! Where has the time gone? I am just in AWE of all that has happened to our family this year….sooooooo much! Another year of being BLESSED and another year with our family of 4…that is ALWAYS a blessing! Never more so then after it could of NOT been….

Anyway, our little family is doing GREAT! We have been enjoying our holidays as a family, buying & wrapping and looking for that special gift…..YEA IT IS OVER!! Gotta love that!

Alex is doing great…he is doing soooooo well in his homeschooling. I am soooo proud of him! I can’t believe the things HE KNOWS! James and I just look at each other when he spouts off something or he starts playing a new game and figures it out QUICK with no instructions from us (and trust me, we are NO HELP since we usually have no clue what that game is!) He just amazes us! And THANK YOU GOD, he has been healthy! We all caught a tummy bug a couple of weeks ago but he got over it pretty quick but MAN it was soooo scary to see him so sick! And as ALWAYS he is such a GREAT big brother…always taking care of brother and making sure we know when matthew “has poop”…he is officially our poop monitor…he can tell across the room if matthew has done his business!! We just laugh! I can’t wait to see his eyes when he sees what Santa has brought him!!

Now onto matthew, well he has had a rough year…although he has grown and developed and this year at 20 months old, he learned to SIT on his own and then at 2 years old, he learned to go from on his back to sit too!! and gotten bigger, he also had TONS OF SEIZURES and all have been VERY SCARY and very bad. I felt so bad for him because he looked so helpless when he has those seizures…so NOT like our boy….and he has not let us relax our guard either….this past weekend was an VERY good example of that….james and I had just gotten too comfy when BAMMMM another BIG seizure…and again, we went by EMS and he almost was placed on a vent and he was BAGGED the whole way…wowowowow….i can’t tell you how crazy it has been and how just on edge it puts us…we just worry because his go on for a LONG TIME….but THANK YOU GOD, he comes out of them and he keeps on….smiling and happy….this last time, he is EATING AGAIN!! THANK YOU LORD! It is just soooo awesome to see him eat and and drink again! And eating WELL TOO!  happy happy! He also now has nursing care that we are SO happy about!!! It has taken a bit of an adjustment but I think we are getting it together….slowly but surely! Now just to keep healthy and developing that is the key…

James is doing so great too! He does his work so well and is always getting so many compliments on how well he does! I am so proud of him. I know that there is always the possibility of him being deployed so I just pray that WHEN it happens it will be further down the line when the boys are a bit older! But, only GOD knows when…

As for me, well, I am doing great. Just enjoying being a wife and mommy. I always feel and know I am so blessed with all that is going on in my life…I just feel like this is the PERFECT life for me! I look at my husband and feel blessed and so happy. I look at my children and see perfection and feel so much love, happiness and JOY that those precious kiddos are MINE!! Wowowowow….what a feeling!! THANK YOU GOD for all the blessings in my life!!

So, we hope that everyone has a WONDERFUL and SAFE holiday…..that everyone feels SOOOOOO BLESSED that they are ALIVE and have family & friends around them.

Many thoughts and prayers to all that are in need this Holiday season and always….many of our fellow special needs kiddos are either too sick to enjoy the holidays, are awaiting surgeries or in the hospital not feeling well, so our thought and prayers go out to them…we were there at the hospital during Matthew FIRST Christmas for 21 days so we know and we will pray….

please drop us an email or leave a comment here & let us know how you are doing!

GOD BLESS and MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Much love,
James, Maria, Alex & Matthew

CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR CHRISTUS SANTA ROSA....

today we had a GREAT DAY because we had a CHRISTMAS PARTY to go to that was given by CHRISTUS (our nursing service)...VERY NICE!! it was held at the DOUBLE TREE HOTEL near the airport and it was very nice to see a room full of kiddos that were normal like matthew!! it was GREAT!!! to see so many kiddos getting g-tube fed, on pumps and oxygen JUST LIKE MATTHEW was just moving....

everything was laid out really nice and the kids got to see a clown and get a balloon sword and then they of course got to eat some YUMMY food....then the big event happen and SANTA AND MS CLAUS came over for a visit...!!!! the place was HOPING with everyone sooooo excited!! and every boy and girl got to visit with santa and get a gift too!!! VERY NICE!!!

they also came over that day and dropped off some gifts for the boys from them!! now i knew they were going to get the boys a gift because the case manager had asked us what the boys liked but OMG, they brought GIFTS!!! LOADS AND LOADS OF THEM!!! it was soooooo AWESOME!!! i am so excited for the boys and can't wait for them to open them!!!!

anyway, it was really nice and i feel SOOOOO BLESSED.............here are some pics of the boys at the party....

AT THE PARTY....



WITH MS CLAUS...


VISIT WITH THE MR & MS!!



THE GIFTS SANTA BROUGHT THEM AT THE PARTY...


THE GIFTS THEY SENT TO OUR HOME!!!

OH what a WEEKEND!!

well....on friday we decided to go meet james in FORT HOOD for the weekend!!! WOOOHOOO! we were all sooooo happy an excited! it is funny that last year, james was also here in fort hood during the holidays and that was how we got to go to the NATURE IN LIGHTS here in fort hood (the five mile stretch of lake that has MILLIONS of christmas light displays)...we took quantum (our dog) to the vet for his little vacation! i know he was NOT HAPPY but i just could not leave him at the house outside for 4 days in this cold!!! so we boarded him, he got his shots & a bath & dip! he probably thought he was in HELL but it had to be done! the kids and i left about 3pm and got stuck in AUSTIN TRAFFIC!! OMG, if you have ever gotten stuck in that...amazing!! it took me about an HOUR to get out of austin!!!!!!! anyway, kids did GREAT during the trip..no side stop, just drove straight thru! they sat and watched their movie and just were so excited that we were going to see daddy soon! we actually got at the hotel about 2 minutes BEFORE james got off work and got there (7pm)!! GREAT! soooooo last night we WENT TO THE LIGHTS!! wowowow...just as nice as last year!! unfortunatly it seemed that EVERYONE ELSE decided to be there too! so we did not make it to see santa at the cabin!! :( but that was ok....we might go again before we leave here...

saturday was very nice and relaxing!! people don't understand how NICE it is to be OUT OF MY HOUSE and away in a hotel for a bit!! the boys and i did NOTHING all day but watch tv, movies and play and RELAX!! it is DIFFERENT from being at home and doing nothing because when we are home, i end up cleaning, picking up after the kids, cooking etc and here i do NOTHING!! very nice!! james came home around 6pm and we went to eat dinner....then we went to this house that is just AWESOME and FANTASTIC!!! there are like a MILLION lights on it and there is one area that plays music and the lights light up in time with it!!! i will try to get some of it on video...we are planning to go tonight>..

sunday james got out by NOON!!!! yippppeeee!! and he is DONE instead of on tues! and today, matthew gave me a SCARE! yep, if you guessed he gave us a scare because he had a seizure, you were RIGHT! man, it had been a LONG TIME since one (back in oct)...he was taking a nap and the night before his heartrate had dropped down into the 40's (been a LONG TIME since that one too!) so i pointed it out to james and sure enough, the next sleep (sun nap) he had a small one!! :( it only lasted about 30 secs or so but just enough to give me a SCARE!!! anyway, sunday we spent some time roaming around FT HOOD and we went shopping at the PX and then we met james old army buddy & his family and we had dinner VERY NICE!! well, we took them to that house that has TONS of different stuff going on and they LOVED IT and so did alex (he fell asleep the first time we did it!)....well, we went back to the room to get ready for bed and i hear james yell...BABE COME QUICK! HIS G-TUBE IS OUT!!!! i was like, NO WAY!! so i run in and james said he saw it on the floor....well, normally, this would be a pretty simple re-insertion with no problems....well, there was a PROBLEM!! i couldn't get it in!! and i wasn't sure if it had been out for LONGER than just a couple of minutes and maybe it had been tucked in his shirt or something because when i attempted to try to get it in, i couldn't and he started to SCREAM!! oooohhhh....so i started to get a bit worried and i tried it again and after him just yelling i was able to push it in (sorry for the graffics but it was just like that!)....well, i was sooooo stunned by how hard it had been that i started to worry that maybe it had been out longer and it had closed up and was not in the right place etc...so off we went to the ER (darnel hospital at ft hood)....well, we get there and start the check in process when i hear james tell me, BABE GET A TOWEL QUICK....alex had THROWN UP!!!!!!!!!! and all over james!!! sooooo the matthew part was pretty cut and dry....went in, got xray and got cleared for intake and gave meds and left by midnight!! well, alex story was not so easy....after he threw up, james cleaned him up and then he did it again...and again....and again.....all night long (he had about 15+ episodes of this) my poor boy!!! he was sooooo scared and just didn't know what to do!!! no james is MY HERO!!! i just love this man and he just LOVES HIS BOYS!! he played a GREAT DAD that night with alex....he took care of him and cleaned him up and slept with him and got up with him when he did his thing and everything....such a WONDERFUL MAN!!! i say this because give me blood, give me poop, give me procedures suctions etc but DON'T GIVE ME THROW UP!!! i HATE IT!! i am probably the worst mom for saying that but i just can't stand the sight....uuuhhggg!!!! if i had to of course i would but man, i run the other way for that one!!!! yuck!!! anyway, my poor boy was just miserable all night...

well, on monday, after a sleepless night for alex & james and i, alex woke up looking ok...then he took a sip of drink and there we go AGAIN!!! soooo, i called our dr here in town and the nurse told me to take him to the ER since he had not peed in over 12 hours and was at risk for dehydration...sooooo, off we go AGAIN for alex this time to the ER.....THANK GOD it was pretty much an in and out thing...they just gave him some pedialyte frozen pops and some tylenol (had a slight fever) and that was it! they said he probably picked up a virus THAT QUICK at the ER or at the resterant!!! man....soooo, we drove home with no incidences and apparently after the out the mouth illness comes the back in kind!! FUN!! :)

soooooo, we are home!! we acutally had a GREAT TIME there except for the last couple of hours!! i enjoyed our stay at the hotel and just can't wait to do it again!! we just wanted to check out the FT HOOD hospital to see if it came up to snuff!! :)

anyway, i will upload some pics in a bit!!

a couple of things...

the end of this week i found out that we were going to go to our NIGHT NURSE and we met her on friday!! she was REALLY NICE....she will be here MON THRU THURS 8pm -6am and what a relief that will be...i know it will take some getting use to and i will have to adjust but i think in the long run it will be a RELIEF to know that someone is watching over him!!! we will be MOVING MATTHEW to his new ROOM!!!!!!!!!!! wowowowowowowow....it will be the first time in over 30 months that he will NOT BE IN OUR ROOM!!!! he has been there from the moment he come home when he was 98 days old.....i know it will DEFEINTLY feel like someone is MISSING...my beautiful boy...to not look over and see him will be a SHOCK and i think i will probably be up and down for a couple of days that he is not there....checking in on him and seeing if he is ok. i do have a video monitor that i will have on him but it will NOT be the same!! and to have someone else get up and do his feeds and turn him and re-position him...wowowow..i hope i can do it!!! but anyway, it is exciting..and scary. we will have to move him stuff TODAY because she will be here on MONDAY and i have to have him in his room by then! my big boy!!!! james was like, what do we do the days she is NOT there (fri-sun night) and i told him we can either sleep in his room or we can bring the playpen and put it in our room...i don't know how all that will work out....if we bring him to our room that would mean we have to bring ALL HIS EQUIPMENT with us....hmmmm...not too sure how that would work...


well, this weekend james had guard duty sooooo it was a nice quiet weekend...we did go to a new holiday light display (www.hillcountryholiday.com) and it was nice....
kinda disappointed that there was not as many lights as i thought there would be. we did stop and go decorate the cookie and have hot chocolate....alex was having none of santa but matthew got some pics with him. we saw a reindeer and the kids didn't want to do the petting zoo!!! we got a couple of pics of matthew with santa....sooo, i will rate it good....james and i both agree that we don't think ANYTHING will top the one in FORT HOOD,TX...that was over FIVE MILES of lights and animation that spanned the lake park there and that was just AWESOME!! it took over an hour to do it all..and THIS YEAR (we might be going to fort hood next weekend) we hope to go again and stop at the santa shop there!!! HOPEFULLY!!!


anyway, here are some pics:

here is tia indi, myself and matthew drink our hot chocolate and eating our cookies!


matthew looking at santa...


and i promise you we had alex there but we had to wake him up in the car because he fell asleep and he was in a BIG MOOD!! no pictures for him!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING and all of that!!

i hope everyone had a GREAT thanksgiving week!!! we have been REALLY BUSY here at the family house!! it has been a bit crazy but ooohhh sooooo fun!!

we had thanksgiving here at our home...we were not sure if this would be the last time we would have it at our home! we are HOPING on moving somewhere that is one story but still not sure on james orders...that will all pan out! but it was nice. i cooked the turkey, made the gravy, mash pot, corn, and i can go on! it was really a QUIET and nice filled day! we did NOTHING after everyone left and just decided to sit on our new couch and watch the game while BOTH BOYS were asleep!!! that was nice! i took a snooze on my end of the couch! :)

friday, i kicked james out of bed to do some early am shopping (he was out by 5:30am) and we were just looking for ONE item that we felt was the BEST DEAL!! we were able to get it and we are SOOOOOOOO EXCITED!! :) and then we just spent the rest of the day out looking at the sells and buying some stuff here and there that were good bargains...OOOOHHHHH!! i also got a GREAT DEAL on a new phone!! i was kind of upset when i was up for renewal of my contract and i couldn't get the same price for a phone as if a NEW CUSTOMER would get sooooo...i called customer service and i talked to about it and the AGREED that i COULD get it for that price AND then they actually gave it to me fore $25 CHEAPER than i would have!! :) sooo, i got it for $29!! and i am SOOO HAPPY!! it has an MP3 player!! :) i should have some fun with it!

later that night, we drove up passed new braunfels to SANTA'S RANCH (www.santasranch.net) and drove thru the 1.5 mill LIGHT display!! very nice! i think it was about an mile long! very nice!!! we did one in FORT HOOD, tx and that was AWESOME!! THAT ONE TOOK US ABOUT AN HOUR to drive thru!! and that one took us next to the lake and everything....we are thinking of going back to that one for a weekend night! it would be nice to get away!! :)

today, we are just going to chill!! we are going to a couple of stores to look at some stuff but overall, we are just going to put up the ornaments on our tree...

i am going to post some pics of the boys!! :)