Sisters are the Best..

 Let's just start this post off with the cutest sisters ever! I love that I have 4 daughters and I am so thankful that they have each other. They really do love each other and I hope that for the rest of their lives they can be friends and sisters who support and genuinely love and respect each other. They will for sure need each other in the future! Sisters are the best!

 OK, so now on to why I really wanted to do this post. I have 2 sisters and they both have had a major impact on my life. They have been some of my greatest supporters and have always listened when I needed them to. I moved in with my oldest sister in the 9th grade. I was having a hard time at home and my sister Lisa came and took me out of a bad situation. She had 3 very small children but still wanted me. I have amazingly wonderful memories of my time living with my sister. She really was like a Mom to me and I am forever thankful that she sacrificed so much for me, her sister. I also have another big sister, our middle sister, Amy. I grew up with Amy. My oldest sister moved out when I was young so I don't remember a lot of her living with me when I was young, but Amy, I remember growing up with her. We had rooms right next to each other and we had a code at night for how many times we banged on our wall. Like if we hit the wall 2 times, it meant "Goodnight" or if we hit it 3 times it meant "I love you". I almost always ended up sleeping with Amy in her bed. She was wonderful! She was and always has been there for me. I deeply love my sisters and I don't know what I would do without them!

 

 

AMY AND ME 

Through all of the ups and downs of life, which we all go through, I am so grateful to have my sisters. I know that if I ever needed anything they would be available in a second! My washing machine broke yesterday and the first thing I did was call my sister to complain. I just needed to vent and she was my first call. I swear, these girls make my life so much sweeter! When I was talking to Amy yesterday, which we do everyday, we both looked at the clock at had a little panic attack because we has been talking for 1 hour and 40 minutes. You know its a good conversation when you forget how long you have been talking! Honestly, I am just feeling super thankful for my sisters and am hopeful that my girls can have a close relationship the rest of their lives!

This One Makes Me Laugh....

A few weeks ago Sophia had her recital for her hip-hop dance class that she has been attending. We couldnt take pictures while they performed, but after the recital Rodg and I took Sophia out to dinner, just the 3 of us. We went to this little Italian restaurant and sat outside. We had pasta, salad and breadsticks and it was so yummy! During dinner, since I couldn't take any pictures of her performing, we took probably too many pictures! I was just snapping Sophia and whatever face she gave me at the time. Here are just a few of the faces that I got. I was totally cracking up and we had a fabulous time together! Oh, and she so totally rocked her hip-hop dance! She is a natural..

Good Job Sophia!!! We sure do LOVE you!

Not a Baby Anymore, but still My baby....

I cannot believe my baby girl is nearly 4 1/2 years old! She is so spunky and funny, and also a little whiny, but I think that comes with being "the baby". I do give in a little, OK, a lot more with her then I have in the past with my other girls. But seriously, who could say "no" to a face like hers? I am enjoying her so much and she puts a smile on my face everyday. Molly is smart and loving. She loves to snuggle me and loves to follow me around the house. She really is my little sidekick, and I wouldn't want it any other way. We are traveling to Texas next week for my nieces wedding, just Molly and I. Molly was asked to be the flower girl in the wedding. Since it is just too expensive to fly my whole family, and Abby has a big tournament coming up, it is just going to be her and I. I know we are going to have a ton of fun and a great adventure! She calls her flower girl dress her "wedding dress" and she is so excited to wear it!

 I remember when Molly fell down 2 years ago and lost her front tooth I was devastated. I felt so horrible and wished that I could fix it. I remember one friend said to me, "Don't worry, it is just going to be a part of her and you will get used to it". 2 years later, I totally love her little "gap" in her smile. It fits her perfectly! I actually met a mom in Maceys karate class that has a 2 year old little girl that fell down last week and lost her front tooth, just like Molly. I was so thankful to be able to give her a little advice and to calm her nerves a little bit. I guess everything happens for a reason, even if it is 2 years later!

 Molly loves having friends over for play dates. She is super social and loves to play, so when Abby got a summer job babysitting 2 little girls, she was in heaven! They are 1 and 2 years old and Abby is learning that taking care of little ones is not that easy! It's a great lesson for her. Anyway, one of the little girls names is Talia, but Molly calls her Nutalia, like Nutella. Molly's favorite sandwich is peanut butter and Nutella so she calls her Nutalia! I think it is one of the cutest things and I didn't want to forget it so I wanted to share it here!

Molly is such a sweet little girl and we are so lucky to have her! What a great way to complete our little family!

Macey LOVES Karate

A few months ago we decided that Macey really needed something to do, you know, to keep her busy. Last year for Halloween Macey wanted to be a ninja. She found all of the clothes she needed and got it all put together. I should post a picture of that someday, it was pretty cute. She thought that as long as she was dressed in black clothing, she was a ninja! It made it pretty easy on me because I just ran down to the store, picked up a little ninja knife set that she wore on her back and there was a wonderful costume! So since then I have been thinking that maybe it might benefit Macey if we put her in a karate class. So a few months ago we started her off at 1 class a week but ended up doing unlimited classes, so she can take up to 7 classes a week! And the price difference is not that big. It has really worked out for us, made my life soo much busier, but has ended up being a huge blessing! Macey absolutely loves doing this! She works so hard in class to be the first in line, say "yes ma'am and yes sir" in a very loud voice and to make sure her kicks and punches are sharp and where they need to be. During the week she also takes sparring classes which she loves as well. In this class they actually pair the kids up and have them spare with each other. There have been times when Macey has had a partner who is much bigger then her, but she never shows fear or that she can't do it. She just tries her best, which is all we can ask for! She attends Christian Black Belt Academy where every belt testing, which is about every 6 weeks, they have to learn a scripture verse as well as all of their moves. I love that after every class they say a little prayer to help all of the students. It is just a great place to be and I feel we have been blessed by this great thing that has come into Maceys life! She is learning about respect, obedience, self disipline and self control. I just love it and hope to sometime soon to start her in some tournaments. She would totally rock it! Here are some pictures of her first belt testing a few weeks ago. Since then she has earned her orange belt. One last thing, they also do board breaking. They practice it during the week and then they do it in front of the parents at belt testing. It is awesome to watch and there are a few pictures of that as well. Enjoy...

One last thing I wanted to share was that Pastor Troy, the teacher and 6th degree black belt has 4 daughters as well. They are also teachers at CBBA and they teach Macey as well. His daughters are all 2nd, 3rd or 4th degree black belts! Its pretty cool to see a whole family work together and to get along so well. I really hope we can keep this up and to watch Macey just grow and become more confident!

California Caverns with Sophia

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go on a field trip with Sophia and her class from school. We went to the California Caverns. I have been on plenty of field trips in my mothering years but this was the coolest, by far! Although the bus ride was 2 hours long and our bus driver was a little crazy and may have enjoyed seeing children bounce all over her bus, it ended up being a pretty cool experience. The best part was that I got to spend all day with my Sophia! She is the happiest little girl and loves to spend time with her momma! We got to go on a nature hike, go mining for jewels and go on an underground tour of these amazing caverns! As you can see in the picture, we had to wear hard hats, which Sophia was totally loving! The underground tour was the coolest thing for me. It is crazy how these rock formations form, and how long it takes. Even though we were underground and there were times that I felt a little claustrophobic, it was something that I will always remember! Sophia and I had a great day together and I love that we have this memory, just her and I, to share.

Abby and her Softball...

Abby has always played recreational ball since she was 5 or 6 years old. She loved it and loved improving, growing and getting better! But last fall we moved out to the central valley of Cali where we found the most amazing team for her! It is a travel ball club where we travel every other weekend to where ever she is going to play. Just since we started with this team Abby has grown by leaps and bounds! They are super competitive and want to be the best! You get a little bit of a different feel in rec ball. Her team is the MSC Tigers and I feel so lucky that she gets to be part of such a great team and a great group of girls! On top of the that, the coaches are amazing and want only the very best from their girls. This pushes Abby to try harder and to push herself. She has also grown in many other ways. She is more confident and considerate of other people. She always cheers on her teammates, no matter what. She is so great and I'm so happy that she has found something that she really loves! Plus, I love and adore watching her play! So today she has a tournament close to home, which is great! She has already left with Rodg and I will bring the rest of the girls when they wake up. We have our tiger gear so we are ready!! Go Tigers!!

I mean , come on people, isn't she the cutest? I don't care that she is almost a teenager, she is still my cute little Abby!!

Far Too Long...

It has been far too long since I have posted. It really is sad because it has almost been a whole year and so much has happened. I feel bad that I didn't document it, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it! I think as I start doing this again I will just add new posts here and there about the last year! But first off I wanted to post some cute pictures we took on Easter morning this year. We had a fabulous Easter and enjoyed being together. When I look at these pictures I am amazed at how big my girls are becoming! I have no babies to feed or change. It seems a bit weird for me, but don't get me wrong, I am loving this time with my sweet girls! I feel so blessed to have them as my daughters!

 Molly is 4 now and she is the baby of the family, and she absolutely knows it! She makes me smile and I love having her with me during the day.

 Macey is 7 now and she is our little firecracker. She is very smart and is a girl who knows what she wants. She will run a huge company one day, she is just that kind of girl! I love her so much and love to watch her figure things out and be successful!

 Sophia is 10 now. She was and still is our little sweet thing. She loves to make people laugh with her jokes and silliness. She hates to see anyone cry. She is turning into one beautiful young woman and I feel lucky to know her!

 Abby is 12 now but will be 13 next month and I can't believe that I will be a mom to a teenager! I have said this to a lot of my friends but it's true...everyone needs an Abby in their life! She is helpful and kind and I am so blessed to be her mom!  

So there is a quick update and a few pictures of my girls from the last month. I know there are a few people who really wanted to see some pictures, so there you go Grandma! I am already planning my next post so hopefully I can continue to do this and share what is going on with our family!