Happy 4th of July 2010!

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Today is probably one of my favorite holidays where I have so many happy memories from my childhood! My grandfather lived on a huge dirt lot and everyone would gather at his house for a barbeque and then we would light fireworks until the sun came up practically. I am talking everyone would be there and we kids would take turns lighting our fireworks. It would take FOREVER!!! We had so much fun and started quite a few fires on that dirt lot!!! Also in the town I live in, they use to be able to sell fireworks and my family always worked the booth for the local softball league that we all played for. We use to have so much fun hanging out at the booth and walking to the corner liquor store for treats. Good times, Good times!!!

This year I dressed Squiggler in a patriotic theme just like I did last year. (Her sisters balked at the idea, so I decided to let that go.) I tried to get Squiggler to pose for pictures before she got dirty, but like I said...she is not loving the camera when it is turned on. When it is not on she is all over it, saying cheese! LOL! The little stinker!

This is a picture of my girls and their cousins. Their mom is my sister cousin and so my kids call her tia and her kids call me tia. I was also the matron of honor at my cousins wedding and both of my girls were in it. My husband and I are also the Godparents to her youngest daughter. I love these girls so much and think of them as my own. We took a picture of them last year too and I hope I remember to make this a tradition of all 5 of them. Squiggler really had a lot of fun playing with them and they were so good with her. My Goddaughter got a little jealous, but she still was really good.

We love going to my tio's house to celebrate the 4th because his neighbors put on quiet the show! The local park puts on a fireworks show and so does a church not too far away, but they do not even compare to the show the neighbors put on and we have a perfect view in his backyard. We have no idea who the neighbors are, but they have been doing a great job the last few years!

Earlier I said that fireworks use to be sold in my town, but they are illegal now and so we have to go to Fillmore to buy them. We bought some really good ones this year and had a small private show, but nothing compared to those neighbors! (They give Disneyland competition!) My honey was tired so I told him to let my cousin in law light them. It was funny because at first he said okay and then he got up to "help". I think it was the mischievous boy in him that wanted to light those fireworks. Boys being boys! We had a really good time and all three girls plus daddy went straight to bed!

The Zoo!

On Thursday, we took Squiggler and Speedy Cheetah to the zoo. It was Squiggler's first time and she loved it. She had a great time looking at all the animals and taking all the information she was learning in. We bought a family pass and probably had not been to the LA zoo in 5 years. When Speedy and Weegie were little, we use to go all the time. Now that we have Squiggler we will go a bunch of times again.

She loved the giraffes (biraffes is what her daddy calls them) and she kept yelling at them. It was so funny like she was talking to them. I have no idea what she was saying. When Speedy was little, the giraffes were her most favorite animal. She still likes them too, but Pandas are now her number one favorite.

She also really liked the flamingos. (She called them mingos) I was going to buy her a little stuffed flamingo, but we received a free small stuffed gorilla, so I didn't buy her one this time, only because I didn't want to spoil her too much.

Her third favorite animal was the wallabis. She really liked them and kept calling them wow wows. (dogs) We plan to go back to the zoo at least 3-4 times this summer, because it is really close and we have a family pass. Weegie didn't go with us because she had summer school.

Here is Squiggler holding on to her stuffed gorilla. It is so hard to get good photos of her lately because she won't look at the camera. Well that is all I am going to write for today because it is late and I'm going night night now. More tomorrow!

Day of Blog Silence for Cohen

Busy Times at Our House!

Well we have busy around here and I've been wanting to blog so I don't forget! On Friday, our Speedy Cheetah, met her Aunt Flo. If your not sure what I 'm talking about well then...I don't want my blog to be too much, but I know what it means. She was excited and had me cracking up all day, asking questions, going to Target to shop for necessities and I know she was feeling special. We even went out and got her a little treat to celebrate. Weegie made me laugh because she said she didn't remembering getting a treat. I'm sure she did, but I asked her if she remembered not getting a treat and she couldn't remember that either, so I'm pretty sure she did, she just doesn't remember anything because she is my blond child. LOL!

On Saturday, we attended a graduation party for our dear friends, Connie and Joey's oldest daughter. Connie and Joey have been our friends for about 14 years and we love them dearly. This year has been especially hard for them, Connie was diagnosed with cancer and Joey's kidney's failed and he now receives dialysis 3x a week. They are great people with 3 daughter just like us. So if you have a prayer to send their way, I know they would appreciate it. They also throw great parties and the food was soooo good! The party was at Connie's brother's house and he has a pool. Squiggler went swimming with her daddy and she loved it! We could not get her out of the pool! I forgot my camera so these were takend with my phone's camera and are not to good, but oh well!

On another big news tidbit from our house is that on Friday we bought the Squiggler a Dora potty seat and today she used it!!!! We are so proud of her and she knew she had done something special because we were all clapping for her! I hope this leads to full time potty training, but only time will tell. She hates to have a dirty diaper and always tells us when she has, but today she told us before hand!!! Go Squiggler! She will be our earliest! We have all summer to practice. Weegie was 2 and I thought that was early, and Speedy Cheetah waited until one week before her 3rd birthday. I thought she was never going to be trained. LOL!

And last, but not least, our Weegie girl started high school today!! Oh my! I can not believe that we dropped her off at high school this morning. It was just like yesterday that we were taking her to nursery school and she cried. She didn't cry this morning, but she was nervous and quickly found some girls to walk in with. Her daddy wanted to walk in with her, but I told him no because that was not cool. He was so funny, because he really wanted to go see where her class was going to be, but she was looking at him all mortified! LOL! He didn't go after all, but we did go pick her up and met her at Carl's Jr. (It's down the street from her school.) She saw us and wanted to jump in the car, but we wanted to eat. LOL! We made her go in with us and eat, but I told her she could go sit by the cute boy she knows from middle school. She went over to talk to him, but she didn't sit with him, she sat with us. So those are just some of the happenings around here! Things I want to remember! I love my life and I love my girls!! Oh yeah and my honey too! Thank you God for all our Blessings!

The Other Side of the Fence

Today Sophia Corbridge had a post about her wish list and then challenge to look our lives and find all the good in it. Count your blessings. So I am taking the challenge. I think I have a pretty awesome life! My life is perfect for me, others might find it boring or dull, but I find it absolutely fabulous and know that I am blessed.

Here is my list:

1. That my girls are strong, healthy and happy. This is my wish always!!


2. To have a den in my house, or maybe a bigger house with a den for entertaining?


3. A Toyota Sequoia in gold or white.


4. To have brothers and sisters that I grew up with and can count on or just talk to on a daily basis.


5. To be the best mommy, teacher, wife, daughter, friend and cousin I can be.


6. A bigger closet!


7. To be able to give away random $20 bills to people that I see working hard and looking like they can use it.


8. To host a Descendants of Macedonio and Irene Hernandez Family Reunion that would hold all of us and be able to pay for it with my own money.


9. To be closer to God.


10. To take my girls on a dream vacation, but I don't know where we would go, but we would go.

Compare to the things I have list:

1. My girls are strong and healthy! I like to think that they are happy and I pray that I am raising them on the right path so that they know that they are the only ones that can determine their happiness. It's not things, or money or other people. It must come from them.


2. I have a great house with a big backyard. I love my house and even if I won the Lotto I think I wouldn't move. I would buy the house next door and move my mom into there. Then I would have more room. :)


3. I have a new car and it might not be the pricey Sequoia, but it is just perfect for my family and I think it's a pretty car too. (Sssh don't tell my honey that I think it's pretty.)


4. I have a great family with lots of cousins and uncles and aunts. I married a man with 5 brothers and sisters. I am so lucky to be related to the family that I have and I wouldn't trade them for anything. We are very close and there is nothing I know they wouldn't do for me!


5. This I work on everyday and I pray that I am doing a good job. I like the saying that says that 100 years from now it won't matter what car I drove, or house I lived in, but that I was important in the life of a child. Mine and the 24 that I am entrusted with every year. I have the greatest husband and am thankful that he is so patient with me! I think I 'm a pretty good daughter considering....but I could do better. I like to think that I am a good friend, I try to be there for them when they need me whether it's in person or just on the phone. I don't have a lot of friends, but I do know a lot of people, but my true friends I think I am there for them.


6. LOL! I want a closet like Carrie in Sex in the City, but that would only be if we ever won the lotto. Oh well it is my wish list!


7. I have this wish forever... I once saw an old man on the side of the freeway selling candy. He reminded me of my daddy. I was too far from him to give him money. I always wished I would have gotten on the freeway, turn around and off again at his exit. I didn't, but there are other people that I sometimes see that I wish that I could just walk up to and hand them a $20. I do give money when I see people in need, but this is just a crazy wish I have that I could just walk around giving $20 away.


8. My cousin Art has this same dream! Someday I will make it happen, but I don't know how or when. I do know that I throw HUGE parties at my house so that I can invite all my cousins from my dad's side, but I don't have enough room to invite ALL my cousins from up north too!


9. This is always a work in progress. I know I am so loved and blessed by God, but I wish I felt worthy and served Him in the way that I should. Like I said this is a work in progress and I know God isn't finished with me yet.


10. We have gone on some amazing trips and I know we will go on a lot more in our lifetime. Before I met my husband I had never been out of the state, but he has taken me and our girls to so many fabulous places. My favorite has been Hawaii, but I would love to take my girls to somewhere they would really like to go.

I am so blessed and I know this is a wish list, but really like I said I have a great life that is perfect for me! I have 3 great daughters, a wonderful husband, my mom is with me everyday and even though we fight I don't want her anywhere else, I have the best job in the world being a kindergarten teacher, I have a great extended family, we have a beautiful house and live in a great community! We have 2 cars, lots of clothes, lots of shoes, my girls have toys and games, we have a cute dog and we have lots of friends. We love our church and I am now a Eucharistic Minister and teach CCD. My grass is really green on my side of the fence and I don't like to think about what ifs. I know I am where I am suppose to be. Thank you Lord for all that you have given to me.

First Trip to the Movies!

Today I decided to take my girls to see Toy Story 3. Everyone and their mother has seen it and has said what a good movie it is! The older two went to see it in 3D, but I knew Squiggler wouldn't be able to handle that so we went to see it in the regular theater. A nearby movieplex had both showing at the same time so we decided to go there. Our theater was pretty packed and I put the baby on my lap. This was her first time ever going to the movies. She was pretty good up until the last 10 minutes of the movie. She had some popcorn and half of a hot dog, but at the end she decide she wanted some milk. (Mommy's milk) I am not comfortable with nursing just wherever so I told her to wait....well that was not a good idea! She got so mad and threw a little tantrum in the theater. She was tired because she had not taken a nap earlier even though we had tried putting her down. I couldn't even take her out of the movie because it was so packed and we didn't sit on an aisle. Oh well live and learn!

Overall, I think she did pretty well for her first time, but I think I will wait at least 6 months before I try that again. I didn't cry in the movie like all my friends said they had. I think it was because I was more worried about Squiggler. I wanted to blog about this because I don't want to forget her first time going to the movies, but I don't have any pictures because there was nothing at the theater to take her picture with to show what we had gone to go see. I like the pictures of her that I included in this post so that is why I added them. LOL!

Owie!

Squiggler got her first real owie today. She called it a co co.( coe coe) She was playing outside with her daddy and she fell down and scraped her knee. It was a real scrape with a little bit of blood. It must of hurt her because she didn't want to bend her knee or let us clean it. She didn't even want a bandaid until she saw that it was Hello Kitty and then she let us put it on her. It's the first time she has ever had a bandaid besides when she gets shots. She kept showing everyone and calling it Kitty.

On another note...I had dinner tonight with my bff and told her about my blog. I told her how I thought I was so boring and that I really didn't ever have anything to say. She laughed and then said that when we get together we never stop blabbing. She is so right! We haven't seen each other since May 1st, but we do talk at least 1x a week or text a couple of times a week. You would never know it! When we get together, we just talk and talk and talk! I love that about our friendship!! She has been my bff since we were 8 years old!!!! She once gave me pillow that said,"You'll always be my friend. You know too much!" LOL! So true!!!