Happy Anniversary!!!

Ruben and I celebrated our 6th anniversary this weekend!!! How time flies!!! The girls spent the weekend with Grandma Martha. Friday night she took Makayla and Julie to the Olympic Tour of champions. They had floor seats and Makayla squealed that she was never washing her hand again after Nastia Luikin slapped her hand, high fiving her leaving chalk on her hand. She was so excited. The next day Grandma took them all to Old McDonalds farm and to the movies. Isa road a pony all by herself and little Alayna wanted to go too so she rode with Julie. They all went to the movies and saw Beverly Hills Chihuhua. When they got back to Crosby Julie wanted a ride on Grandpa's new motorcycle. Well since she went Makayla couldn't let her show her up. Grandma called to brag and needless to say mom and dad about had a heartattack. Daddy's first question was if they at least had helmets on. On Sunday they all ran errands and came home since Makayla had gymnastics practice.

Ruben and I had a romantic weekend away. We stayed at the Marriott Westchase, went to the Theatre to see Cyrano de Bergerac, a little shopping, a little eating, and lots of drinking!! I'll leave all the mushy stuff out. We spent Sunday afternoon watching the Texans win against the Dolphins. What a Game!!!!! I miss those days of watching football and drinking beer! It was a great weekend!!!!

Another Busy Week

Seems like the same title over and over but we lead very hectic lives. Ruben went to Baltimore this week so I had to fend for myself with all of the girls. Things sometimes run a little smoother with Daddy out of town since they have him wrapped around their fingers!!! For instance, Alayna has been sleeping in her crib all night!!! Mommy is very relieved. Usually she wakes up in the wee hours of the morning and wants to be in bed with us. Isabella usually sneaks down as well between 4 and 6 am and climbs into bed with Daddy. With Daddy gone, neither one of them did those things. That was somewhat of a relief for me.

Julie started her art class this week and was very excited!!! They are doing a new cirriculum than the last 2 sessions she's taken. She'll be working with watercolors, pastels, even clay this year. Her first class ran a little long, but when we saw the artistic piece she brought home, it was well worth it.

It seems like Alayna may be ready for potty training. She's a week shy of being 18 months old but she is constantly pulling off her diaper. Everyone's easy fix for that is to keep clothes on her. Well she pulls the clothes off before the diaper. The other day my sister and I couldn't find her. When my sis found her she was in the toilet room in our bathroom. She had pulled her diaper off, squatted down and pooped on the floor!!!!! It took a moment to control the laughter to get her into the tub. We called grandma and grandpa and they get a kick out of it too!!! I guess she understands what that room is for now. Her Tata just brought over her brand new potty chair!!!

Isa made a new friend last week. I joined meetup.com and a new playgroup. I met one of the moms at McDonald's with her daughter, Bella. After conversing over email we found out the girls are very alike. Both 4 years old; both named Isabella; and both very prissy. Needless to say the girls hit it off right away. They hugged each other immediately and were holding hands practically the whole time. They played for hours. Usually when they play at McDonalds I get impatient and last maybe 30 minutes, but with someone else to talk to the hours just flew by. Before I knew it it was time to pick up Makayla from school. She can't wait to see Bella again!!!

Makayla had District Championships this weekend. There was just as much drama leading up to this one as the first qualifier but she was better prepared to handle it. She also only had this one chance to qualify for South State Championships. We worked on her floor routine during the week to strengthen her dance movements. Her coach noticed a difference on Friday. She said it was one of the best floor routines she seen out of her. We were also excited since the new leos finally arrived!!!

She was a little worried about the competition since she changed the group she was normally in. They had to even out the groups so she competed as a Sr A instead of Sr B. That put her up against the best girl at the gym. She had her work cutt out for her. She qualified for south state and was overall pleased with her scores although she knews she can do better. She placed 5th on vault, 2nd on bars, 3rd on beam, 8th on floor, and 4th in the all around!!!

Heart of a Champion!!!

Makayla had her first qualifier on Sunday. After all the stress and the disasterous start to the weekend, she did extremely well!! Friday night she was so stressed out and distracted she couldn't even concentrate. She injured herself hitting her feet on the high bar. Ruben thought about pulling her from practice to prevent her from hurtinig herself severly. She was exhausted from the day and was glad once practice and the day werer over. Saturday she spent the afternoon with her friend Kortney for so much needed relaxation. When she got home, her spirits were lifted. We spent about an hour before bed going over her routines video taped from Friday's practice. I gave her some pointers, the same ones I always give her, and a small pep talk. She took it all in and was ready for the competition.

The day started early but she was pumped and ready. She started on her strongest event, the uneven bars!!! Her routine was strong and she stuck the landing!!!! This was a rare occasion for her so she was excited that she stuck it on competition day. Her next event was the balance beam. I was glad she listened to the pointers she had been given. Her rountine was the best we had seen dance wise. Her skills have never been an issue, but as Caoch Marina put it, she's boring to watch, but not this time!!! She sliced her back walkover but it prevented her from falling so it was worth the deduction. Overall it was a great routine!!

Next came floor ex. More dancing!!! She applied the same principles in some parts so it was easier to watch and she had a little trouble sticking her back tucks. Her score popped up and we were appalled a 7.75!!! What happened?? All of the girls on that rotation were getting scores lower than previous rounds. One of our moms came up shortly after and explained to us what had happened. A new judge was judging and wasn't aware she could take partial deductions so she was taking full deductions for everything!! How unfair. Next was vault. Her weakest event. She did etxtremely well!! Some of her best vaults.

When it was time for awards she was worried that she wasn't going to place and she was certainly scared she wouldn't get first on bars like she always had in the past. The first evet they announced was valut. To her surprise she placed 4th!!! She was shoked and excited. On the balace beam she placed 6th. She placed 7th on floor and 1st on bars!!!! In the all around she came in 3rd!!!! She was very pleased with herself as she very well should have been. She had a great qualifier!!!

I spoke to her coaches on Monday and they asked if she was pleased with herself. They were very proud of her especially considering the circumstances prior to the meet. Now that she has this one behind her she can push herself to do even better at the next qualifier.

First Day of School

All the girls, well except Alayna have started school. Makayla and Julie started on August 25th and Isa Started on September 2nd. Makayla said she was scared the first day because everything was so crowded. Now that she is in 7th grade, all of the 7th and 8th graders are all mixed in together. It also didn't help that her schedule was wrong at orientation so she didn't get her schedule until the first day of school unlike the other kids. She didn't get to practice going from class to class. She has off campus PE due to the number of hours she practices gymnastics every week. It has helped her tremendously. She has more time to do the things she needs to do, especially homework and studying.

Julie had fun the first day of school. It was more of a get to know each other for her. She is also a big fish now that she is in 5th grade. Her teacher is a new teacher to Millsap but all of the other teachers had great things to say about him. Her other teachers are Makayla's teachers from 5th grade so it's comfortable for her.

Isa started her first day of pre-school. She is attending SEEDS Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. SEEDS is the Mother's Day Out Program at our church. I was very impressed when I visited in the spring. So far she seems to really enjoy it. Tuesday started off great. I dropped her off and everything was fine since she had been going to day school during the summer. When I picked her up her teacher told me that she learned a lesson that day. When I asked what it was she told me she learned not to hit friends!! I was in complete shock. That is so unlike Isa!!! Apparently her friend had a toy that she wanted so she hit her and pushed her in the stomach. I was completely appalled!!!

Fridays she is enrolled in the dual language program so the entire day is taught in spanish. Her spanish teacher was very nice and the class is held in the nursery so she looks forward to this class. After her first week at school she has really had fun!!

A Little Behind

Ok, so I'm a little behind on my blogging. The girls have been extremely busy since school started so it has kept my schedule a little hectic. Plus, I am on my third book of the Twilight series. Ruben heard about it and thought that I might like it since I used to read so much. He bought me the first book. I started reading it even though from what he told me I knew I wasn't going to like it. I had to give it a try for him. The first few chapters were like any other book, setting the story. Ruben was discouraged I didn't like it, but then I couldn't put it down. Within a week I had finished the first one in the series. Labor Day he took me to Barnes and Noble and bought the next 2 books. I then found the final book on sale at Kroger, of all places!!!!! I finished the second book in 3 days even though it was a little slower than the first. I am now a quarter of the way done with the third. Ruben started reading the first book after me telling him all about it. He was excited he found something that I enjoyed and that I am doing something I really used to enjoy. It has given us something to talk about besides the kids.

Makayla's 12th Birthday!!

It started early!!! Friday night at gymnastics the girls did their thing. They taped Makayla all up like a mummy, carried her around the floor and dropped her on a mat all while singing Happy Birthday. Then they had the joy of unwrapping the tape from Makayla as well as she yipped and hollered like a puppy as the hair was yanked from her legs and arms!! The girls all devoured a humongous cookie cake in less than 15 minutes!!! We were also the cool parents because we brought drinks, 3 different types of Powerade. The girls were appreciative!

Saturday morning arrived, Makayla's Birthday. The party was starting early. Her friends began arriving at 9:45 am. 5 of her friends joined her as well as Julie and Julie's friend Katie. We were off to the mall for a mall scavenger hunt!! The girls were split into 2 teams and were each given 22 clues to run around the mall to solve the riddles, buy their items, and take the requires pictures. Some of them were a little tough but the girls tried their best and surprised us on some of them.

From the mall went to lunch at Chili's. I tallied up the points and declared the winner "Team 1" which included Makayla, Kortney, Nicole, and Brooke. We all ate some good food and even better dessert. We all sang Happy Birthday to Makayla while she stood on her chair. She was embarrassed so our job was done. From their we took all the girls to the movies to see House Bunny. I was a little worried at first about taking a bunch of pre-teen girls to see a movie about a playboy bunny but it's what they wanted. I have to admit some of the jokes were more for adults but the girls enjoyed the premise of the movie. Overall the movie was hilarious and everyone enjoyed it.

We brought all the girls back to the house and one by one they were all picked up. It was a great party! The only kink was the girls had to go with their mother from 6-8 which interrupted our day. When they returned we took the girls to Cypress Academy where they met Jonathan Horton and Raj Bhavsar from Team USA. It was quite an experience for our future Olympic gymnasts. Makayla convinced them to autograph my team shirt even though they were no longer giving autographs, afterall it was her birthday!!! Raj signed the shirt Happy Birthday and Jonathan with his name. That shirt will be framed and NEVER washed again.

What more could a girl ask for on her BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Baby Jr's Baptism

We celebrarted the Flores twins baptism today. They were completely submergred!! Baby Jr looked adorable in his baptism suit, bowtie and all!!

We went to eat afterwards with the family. It was a great celeration!!

Busy weekend

We had a busy weekend!!! It started off Friday morning I had a couple of doctor's appts. From there we took advantage of tax free weekend and went school shopping. In the middle of that we squeezed in Isabella's hot shot gymnastics class. For the first time she worked on vault. She ran hard and fast!!! When it came time to hop onto the springboard she hit the breaks before she jumped. She couldn't quite understand but did better at every attempt. We did more school shopping after that. The girls didn't need much but took advantage off all the sales. Now they have plenty of outfits!! Makayla also had orientation for the school year. She got her schedule and it included PE so we were a little confused. Ruben talked to her counselor and she was going to check with the district and get back to us on Monday. Hopefully everything will work out and she will get that extra hour.

Saturday we went to the twins birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. Alayna had a blast!! All the girls played and ate tons of pizza. None of them wanted to leave, especially Isa but was happy to oblige when she was told we would be going to Poo Poo's house to go swimming. We went to Poo Poo's house for the August birthdays. We ate good food and celebrated all of the birthdays. Makayla opened her presents and was shocked when she opened her Coach purse. She was very excited.

Sunday morning they got up and did a fashion show off all of their new clothes. It was amazing how many outfits they actually had!!! It was Isabella's first fashion show of school clothes and she had a great time! A future super model in training!!!

Mexico

We accompanied Ruben down to the valley this week. He worked and we all played. We took the girls on their first trip across the border. We went for a shopping trip in Progresso. We needed to buy the outfit for our godson's baptism. Ruben had seen a few outifts a few weeks before and wanted to show them to me to choose. He always brought back gifts for me and the girls but the girls got to pick out their own presents this time. They enjoyed the sites and looking at all the neat stuff available.

We also made an early morning trip to a Panderia and the girls picked out 2 trays of fresh pan dulce straight from the oven!!! It smelled so good!!!

New puppy

We picked up our new puppy today!!

She is a miniature dashund and she is just too precious!! So precious that I decided to call her PRECIOUS!! How cute is that?!? The babies absolutely adore her!! She has her moments of activity and long moments of sleep. I wish I could sleep like that!!

Our mini vacation

We took a mini vacation to Moody Gardens this year. With the girls being gone and Makayla already missing 6 weeks of gymnastics we really can't afford for her to miss anymore so we had to settle for a mini vacation this year. We left Friday late morning and went out to Space Center Houston. The girls played and explored new things about space. Makayla and Julie climbed in the ropes and Isa did the bunjee trampoline jump. They even had the Star Wars exhibit so we got some interesting pictures, of the girls, and even Ruben!!!

We left Space Center and went down to the Kemah Boardwalk and had dinner at the Aquarium.

We didn't have much time to play but we saw a juggler and listened to Andy and the Dreamsicles. Saturday morning we headed down to Moody Gardens. We saved some money and bought a yearly pass which got is access to all the attractions. We explored the aquarium, the ridefilm and the 3D Imax adventure of Sea Monsters. We then headed over to the Moody Gardens hotel where we played in the pool until dinner time. Sunday morning we went back to Moody Gardens and continued our exploring. We went to the Rainforest Pyramid and the 4D Theatre.

From there we headed over to the strand for a little shopping. We took the girls to the Candy Factory and ice cream shop. Overall I think they all had a great time even if it was just a weekend.

They're home!!!

Makayla and Julie are home!!! We are very excited to have them home. Isa and
Alayna have been their shadows. They are getting back into their routine especially the gymnastics. They missed it!!!! Makayla bounced right back in all her events despite missing 6 weeks of workouts. Julie struggled a little bit with gymnastics. Julie also started art camp today. I think she is getting more out of it this summer than last year. She was excited to hear she was going again. Tomorrow is bring a friend day so she is taking her best friend Emily. Emily is spending the night and spending the day with us after art camp. Isa has school tomorrow and I'm worried it will be a difficult day for her knowing that her sisters are home. I hope she goes without any problems. Our little Alayna is finally weaned. After Mommy's night out on Friday she couldn't nurse for at least 24 hours so we just called it quits. She was doing fine with it until today. Today she has been tugging at my shirt and really trying to get it. Maybe it has a little to do with Mommy. Mommy was okay until today when the pain set in.

Our blog

Since our PC died and our Roadrunner account converted to comcast, we've lost access to many things including our blog so we created a new one. There have been many accomplishments with the girls since our last update on the old blog over a year ago! We had a beautiful baby girl shortly after the last update. Makayla traveled to Australia and made it to State with Team Cypress. Julie has become quite the artiste!!! Isabella started school this summer and enjoys it more than anything. All in all the girls are ALL excelling to their very best!!