Makayla's Award

We had gotten an invitation to an award ceremony for Makayla in the mail a few weeks ago. When we asked her about it she had no clue what it was for. She knew very little about the ceremony except for what we told her which was information from the letter. When we arrived and recieved a program we all tried to guess what she was getting an award for. My original quess before viewing the program was for her participation in the Duke TIP program. After seeing the program I knew that wasn't the case because he scores were below the criteria, barely. After seeing the program, my quess was right. Makayla recieved an award for honor roll. Each 6 weeks she made the honor roll! It was exciting and quite an achievement for her. We always keep close track of her grades due to her being in level one classes and her gymnastics. We never really knew except once that she made the honor roll because she never came home with the usual propoganda. Not sure why. We are very proud of her!

Unfortunately she did miss the Duke TIP award for reaching the state level of acheivement for taking her SATs in the 7th grade. The minimum criteria was to make a minimum of 510 on the math portion. Makayla made a 490. :( Poor Makayla...

Isa says goodbye to SEEDS

Isa completed her first year of school at SEEDS! She attended on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm glad she got to experience school before she started public school. She loves her teacher Ms. Loria. Isa is her little princess and always her big helper. She also attended dual language Fridays with Ms. Angela. Isa looked forward to Ms. Angela's class every week. They have a special bond and Isa has grown quite attached. Alayna will be attending next year on Tuesdays and Thursdays like her big sister, Isa. She is ready!! Even Ms. Angela says she is ready the way she marches into the classroom every Friday. Isa absolutely LOVED it and was very sad to go. Everyday now she asks to go to school and gets upset when I tell her it's over and there is no more school until after summer. I hope she is as enthusiastic when she starts kindergarten in the fall.

Originally their last day of school was to be the day of their graduation but since IKE interfered with everyone's plans at the beginning of the year school was extended one week. Since they had already graduated they had fun days. The last day was splash day and since they are the oldest they were the last to go so they had a blast!! They got to make the biggest mess and the best part for them, they didn't have to change out of their bathing suits!! They got to play in their bathing suits all day!! They finished with popsicles while they dried off outside and returned to their classrooms to get gifts from Ms. Loria and their friends. Isa will really miss all of her new friends.

Graduation!!!

Isabella graduated from pre-school last night. She was so excited!!! She loved her year in pre-school at our church. The program was wonderful! The started with a prayer by Father Lockey after processing into the church. Of course as soon as the program began Isa had to go potty so we missed the prayer. Then Ms. Judy, the music teacher told a story about S.E.E.D.S. and how all the children started as seeds and have all bloomed! Then Ms. Angela led a prayer they have learned in spanish!!It was very exciting to hear all those bilingual children!!! Then Ms. Judy led them in some songs that they had performed in prayer service this year. Believe it or not, from about 10 pews back I could actually hear Isabella during some parts! Then it was time to graduate! The stood on the alter with their class while their teachers handed them their diplomas! After all classes were done they processed out of the church and it was picture and cookie time!!!!

We are all so very proud of our graduate!!!

D.A.R.E. Graduation

Julie had her DARE graduation today. I have to say the essays that some of these kids wrote were amazing!! So eloquent and sophisticated! They understood the impact of drugs and alcohol on their bodies and their lives. It was a great ceremony. JUST SAY NO!!!

Alayna's Mayfest

Alayna had her gymnastic Mayfest during her regular class time Friday morning. It was a FUN day!!! She started out dancing and bouncing on the trampolines chasing balloons. All of the other kids were just kinda standing there but not our little Alayna. As soon as she heard the music she was jammin!

Then they did activities on the floor. She liked doing her backflip and jumping into the pit. On the tumble trac she just kept boucing and bouncing and then off into the pit AGAIN!!! Then it was mountain time!!! She was climbing and sliding with coach Nicki!!!

Alayna got her first medal!! Aferwards Coach Nicki let her go crazy again with the blue inkpad for the stamp!! Then we all went to breakfast with Grama and PooPoo!! Isa stayed home from school so she could watch and play some too!!

Isabella's Mayfest

Isa had her Mayfest gymnastics performance this weekend. The theme was "Welcome to the Jungle!" She's in HotShots this year so Mayfest was a bigger performance than usual. All the girls in her group had to have matching leos. It wasn't as difficult picking them out as we had all assumed. Isa's didn't come in until the week before and of course it was wrong! I had no time to correct it and she didn't have a problem with it so she just wore it anyway. My fear is it won't get worn again. Anyway, she had an audience and was proud that she thought she was the one with the most people there to watch her. Mommy, Daddy, Alayna, TaTa, Grandma Martha, Uncle John, Aunt Margie, Abeulito, Abuelita, Padrino and Tia Erika were all there to see her. She was a little distracted but excited to show off her skills! She did well in all the events and was excited to get her trophy!

Go Julie Go!!!

Julie has been a little over-achiever here lately!! She had her Spring Fling gymnastics competition on Friday at Cypress Academy. She came in 4th in the All-Around!!!! She came home with her report card the same day with Straight A's!!!!! Then back at gymnastics on Wedensday she moved up a level to SUPER-novas!!!! She is so excited and a little uneasy. Sh's not used to so much attention, positive attention!!

Go Julie Go!!!!

School

Well, my babies are growing up. I registered Isabella for kindergarten yesterday. She is excited to be going to "Julie's school" next year. It's funny how the administrators and teachers already know she is Makayla and Julie's little sister. She's comfortable there which should make the transition easier for her as well. I know she loves going to SEEDS and will miss it terribly but she is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps!!!!

Alayna will be going to SEEDS in the fall. She will get her 2 year shots soon and that will complete her paperwork for enrollment. I know she is ready for some sort of structure and interaction with other kids. I love having her with me but she needs interaction with other kids!!!

Both Isa and Alayna will be attending Building Rainbows in the summer 2 days a week. Isa loved it last year and is looking forward to going back this year!!!!

Texas Bluebonnets!!!!

We took our annual trip up 290 for our family pics in the bluebonnets. All the girls have grown very fond of this tradition!!! Our usual overpass in Hempstead was covered in blue but we kept driving into Chappel Hill. Ruben had spotted an open field last Sunday that looked like an ocean of bluebonnets. It was AMAZING!!!! There were cars everywhere but enough room to have your own space. All the girls took beautiful pictures!! We got to have some fun with the posing this year since Alayna is older and was in a picture takinig mood, for the most part. She was a ham making silly faces. I just kept shooting hoping to get the smiles, but the other faces and expressions I caught were just as good for a laugh. You can't help but smile!!!

After we were done in the field in Chappel Hill we drove into town for gas and a potty break. Then off to the overpass in Hempstead. Luckily when we got there it was empty! No other cars around. We climbed and only had one slip. Little miss Julie was wearing slippery new shoes!! We got great closeup shots with bluebonnets all around!!!

Superstar!!!!

Our little Alayna has been published!!! Tia Nelda called this morning and informed me that little Alayna's picture is in Katy Magazine!!! She was looking for their ad for the doctor's office and flipped the page and saw her niece staring back at her. She called me and I was so excited!!!!! It's the picture I took of her last year when we went picking strawberries with Michelle and the kids. It was too adorable so I submitted it to King's Orchard to post on their website. I never thought I would see it anywhere else! I haven't personally seen it yet. I went looking a the Katy magazine website but couldn't find it. I called my mom and told her. She was just as excited as I was. Then I called Tata and told her too. She was running out at lunch. I told her where she could pick up a copy. She picked up 2, one for me and one for her!!!! She's on page 93 of Katy Magazine. Check it out if you get a chance!!!!

Isa's First Date

The week before Valentine's Day Julie came home with a paper from a Methodist Church about a Father/Daughter dance. I thought it would be fun, but of course Makayla and Julie would be gone for the weekend. Ruben was out of town for the week which was usual, and we had other plans that night. When I told Ruben about it the day of the dance, he couldn't resist taking his little princess. She had really been missing her daddy. I got her all dressed up, fixed her hair, and painted her nails. Her daddy got her some flowers and came to the door to start their date. She was so excited!!! They left for their date, and she is her mother's daughter....a dancing queen!! Ruben said she danced and danced and danced. They only sat out about 4 songs in almost a 3 hour period!! She was tired and wanted to come home. Ruben told her we were going to get something to eat, all of us. She asked why they had to come pick up mommy and Alayna. It was he date and she wanted to go eat with Daddy!!

Extremely behind!!

OK so I'm really behind on updating the blog. I had prepared a New Year's update but then didn't finish it until tonight. So this covers us through the beginning of the year. There is of course more to add which I hope to add tonight or tomorrow.

Goodbye 2008…..Hello 2009

Alayna
It’s been an awesome year for all of us. Alayna started walking at the beginning of the year. IT seem like she went straight to running!! It’s been an effort keeping up with her ever since. Alayna celebrated her first birthday in April. We had a party at our neighborhood park. It was a carnival theme!! She has been growing like a weed!! She stopped nursing over the summer which was quite a relief to mommy. It had become more of a comfort thing instead of a necessity of food. She loves food, especially some good Mexican food, like Grandma’s beans and rice and some tortillas!!! We attended breakfast with Santa at Julie’s school and she wanted nothing to do with it, even with Mommy holding her nearby. Luckily Christmas Eve she sat in Santa’s lap without any issues.

Isa
Isa started pre-school in the summer at Building Rainbows. She absolutely LOVED it. She celebrated her 4th birthday with cookies with her friends at school. At home we had an ice cream party at Carvel. All the kids got to see how the cakes are made and each got to decorate their own personal ice cream cake to take home. In gymnastics she was selected to be in the Hot Shots class!! The preschool director hand picks the students and there are only a handful of classes. These kids are pushed a little harder and workout more and play less. The skills are more like the skills that Makayla and Julie are doing. They are all gymnastics ALL the time!! In the fall she started Mother’s Day Out at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, our church. She goes 2 ½ days a week and adores all of her teachers and has made lots of new friends!! Isa also started ballet/tap classes in the fall. She had her first show for Christmas and she was born for the stage!! This Christmas was especially fun for Isa. She understood what it was all about, the birth of baby Jesus. She enjoyed every minute of the entire season, even the SNOW!! It was only the second time it has snowed since she’s been born. Unfortunately the first time she was only 6 months old. This time she was with Grandma and Grandpa and was so excited about the snow!!!

Julie
Julie is enjoying her last year in elementary school. She has blossomed in her art!! She was enrolled in Art after school in both the spring and fall semesters. Academically she is still a whiz!! She has brought home numerous report cards with straight A’s. She rarely needs help with her homework and usually helps Makayla with the artwork on her projects. In gymnastics she was a Nova this year. At her winter competition she didn’t do so well, but she knows what she needs to focus on to help her the next time.

Makayla
Makayla excelled in her gymnastics as a level 6. She placed in the Gold division going into the state championships!! She was quite nervous about competing against the best of the best. She beat her teammate Kendall in a fluke so she was excited and scared at the same time. She knew she needed to step it up and so did we. We got her 2 private lessons a week so she could work and fine tune her weaknesses. It definitely paid off!! She placed 7th in the state of Texas in the GOLD division. Her personal best!!!! She was so excited!!!! She was also invited to participate in the Duke University TIP program. She got to take her SAT as a 7th grader!!! We are so very proud of her!!

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!!!