Music Makers

I have been looking at buying a piano for awhile now. I finally found one at a decent price that is also digital. (aka will never have to be tuned and can have earphones plugged in) The boys were very excited about this new addition to our living room. No formal lessons planned for now, but possibly in the future.


Funny how both of them have crazy maestro hair



Joaquin seemed to be happy just "riding" on the bench

Texas Bluebonnets

I figured that since we live in Texas we should get some bluebonnet pictures. The funny thing about this is after taking these pics I talked to a friend of mine about where to find bluebonnets. We thought that we were each talking about the same location, but come to find out I went to the "junky" side of the field and that there was a nicer section of flowers on the other side. I guess now I know that the grass may not the greener, but the bluebonnets are bluer!




Joaquin and his crazy hair


Hey look, even Diego is waving at the camera

Not to worry folks, Marco didn't pick this flower he found this piece on the ground. Thats what he told me anyway.

Go Rangers!

Hector's job does have its perks. He was able to get us Ranger tickets (along with a parking pass) from one of his sub-contractors. How nice it is to go to a baseball game and actually have good seats! We were just to the left of home plate and the perfect spot for foul balls (by leftys). One ball was actually hit right at us ( or more like right at Joaquin) but the guy in front of us tipped it and caught it. But he was nice and gave it to the little boy sitting next to him. I'm really kind of glad he didn't try to give it to Marco or Joaquin, because having only one ball between two boys would have caused some major problems. But we all had a good time, and Hector got all the $1 hot dogs he could consume in one sitting.



What is a Ranger game without nachos?? Gotta have the nachos!


And the giant drink for all to share

Tractors!!

This is something we like to do to pass time between church and lunch on Sundays. Our new favorite Sunday lunch spot is Rosa's Cafe. And lucky us, right next door is Lowe's. We usually walk around and think about projects we would like to do on the house while the boys ride the tractors. I'm sure one day we will get kicked out but until then, drive those tractors boys! Maybe one day I will get tired of mowing the lawn with a push mower and actually buy one of those things. Until then, we can only dream...
 
 

Future Red Raiders

 
 
 

What else can I say? The pics say it ALL!

Getting ready for the summer

Just a little swimming practice in the bathtub to get ready for the summer. I think this is the first time Quin has let us put goggles on him. Too funny!

 

My not so relaxing kid-free weekend

This past weekend Hector took the boys for a road trip to Lubbock. He really wanted to go the spring game at Tech and I had already given work my availability schedule so darn, I couldn't make the trip. It is been a while since I have been back to the great area of Lubbock, but I do still remember the boring drive and don't ever look forward to that. Instead of having a nice relaxing weekend I decided a few rooms in the house needed a fresh coat of paint. The kitchen and guest bath were the lucky winners this time around. Of course, after all the painting is done and the job is assessed, I feel the colors didn't QUITE turn out like my color swatches. But like most people say, "don't have painter's remorse, it will grow on you". I hope that is the case. It has only been 72 hours. Along with the painting, we are trying to reorganize the boys' room/clothes/toys. Our guest bedroom has temporarily become a disaster zone until this can be accomplished. This house is always a work in progress.

 

Zoo fun with friends

Just a little proof that the zoo IS more fun with friends

Marco finally gets a big bed

Oh Glorious Day, Marco finally got the big bed he was asking for. Well, actually only half of the bed because he really wanted bunk beds in his room. But Joaquin is just not quite ready for that, so one bed will have to do for now. As we were setting up the new bed, Marco continuously commented, "I'm so excited for my new bed...my new BIG bed." So Joaquin no longer sleeps in the converted crib as he now gets Marco's toddler bed. It was kind of ridiculous seeing an almost 5 yr old curl up onto this small toddler bed, but now HE looks so small in the twin bed. Luckily someone had given me a cute space-themed rug and blanket to fit the twin bed. These along with the inflatable space shuttle and the maps that were already on the wall, it looks like we kind of planned the room that way. I was hoping that maybe this big, comfy bed would allow Marco to sleep a little later in the morning. But no, he was up at his usual 6:30. Oh well, so much for wishing.




Here you can see the space shuttle that is suspended from a chinese paper lanturn that kind of resembles the sun. This also makes a pretty cool shadow on the wall at certain times of the day.

These last two pictures are with the flash on. They don't normally sleep with the lights on full blast.

Day at the zoo

Since I decided to renew our zoo pass, I figured we better get our money's worth while the weather was nice. It was a beautiful day and although it is always more fun going to the zoo with friends, we had a great time. Also, I am learning that I must keep some of my comments to myself. There were only a few daycares/schools present that day, but Marco did comment very loudly "aww man, the daycares are here" as a group of kids walked by. I don't think any of the chaperones gave us a dirty look, but who knows. Here are a few pictures from our excursion. I love the one with Marco climbing the kangaroo while Joaquin is hugging it and the lady in the background is yelling at her kid. A true zoo classic.

 
 

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. The weather was beautiful and the candy was a plenty. ( I think the boys racked up more candy than they did at Halloween) After church we headed to our new lunch spot, Rosa's Mexican Cafe. Marco scarfed down his 2 cheese enchiladas like they were going out of style. And with minimal red sauce on his nice, white shirt I might add. Here are a few pictures from this weekend and a few from the previous weekend.

 
 

Too Loud!

Here are some pictures of the boys' first Mavs game. One of the perks of Hector's job is being on the receiving end of local sports tickets. We stayed until the 3rd quarter, and they both did really well. But as you can see, we should pack a few pairs of ear plugs next time.
 
 
 
cotton candy makes everything better
 

Are we coloring eggs or fingers?

This is the second year we have attempted to color Easter eggs. With this in mind, I just assumed that Marco remembered that the eggs are hard-boiled. Although this year I did boil the eggs the day before while the boys were asleep, so maybe that is why this story begins the way it does... As we are setting up the dye cups my phone rings and I innocently step away for a brief moment. Upon my return I see Marco banging the egg on the table and he states, "This one won't open." I'm thinking, "what is he talking about, of course it won't open" and "quit hitting that egg on the table, you are going to crack it!" I soon realize that this is the second egg he has attempted to open while I was away. He proudly shows me the first egg he was able to pry open, and the yolk is missing. I ask where yellow part is and he points to the orange dye cup. Lo and behold there is the yolk, perfectly round, sitting in the orange water. I just couldn't help but laugh. After explaining to him that these eggs were different and not like the ones we use to bake with, he got the picture. Soon we had all of our eggs colored, along with all our fingers. It took 2 days for the dye to finally wash of. In the pictures notice Joaquin's nose. He is now in the "needing to smell everything" phase. Other Easter activities included an Easter Parade at Marco's escuela and multiple egg hunts.