Happy 4th Birthday, Joseph Sebastian!

Chaca-la-ding-dong!
He turned four on Saturday
Our baby Jo-gee

He blew his candles
As I prayed my wish for him:
More candles to blow

Continue to march
To the beat of your own drum
Off the beaten path

Where nature and friends
May or may not be -- always
Finding happiness,

Contentment, and peace
Wherever you may be -- in
This world of wonders

There's Smart...



All dressed up for his 5th birthday last month! His chose his outfit himself. Gaby wanted a Batman tie for his birthday, but, alas, it is a difficult article of clothing to find.

 This morning Gaby reminded me that a special show was going to be on March 29th.  I asked him how he knew that, and Gaby said that he had seen it on television. I told him he was smart.  Gaby replied, "There's smart, and there's Kmart smart!" 





A Batman cake that stained our fingers and teeth blue. The first non-truck cake Gaby has chosen - ever.

Christian's Big Week

Yoda and the gang helped celebrate Christian's 7th birthday.  He received many new Wii and DS games related to Star Wars, Mario Bros., Despicable Me, and Harry Potter.  Christian's time spent on such games has to be severely limited, though.

I can't believe he's 7 already!  Christian, what a special boy you are.  As a baby, he did not play with toys.  He did not like stuffed animals, noisy toys, trucks or cars. Cars and blocks were for lining up by color or shape.  But we discovered he liked puzzles, and so he started working on them at the age of 2. We also started reading to all the boys when they were babies, and now he reads to Gaby at night before going to bed.  Christian received some pretty terrific level 1 Star Wars books to read.  I like listening to him read to Gaby because if Christian can't decode a word, he makes it up as he goes along.  He's still reading and using his imagination, and that's good in my book!

Today was Christian's first day of first grade.  He slept with his Star Wars backpack near him, and as soon as the alarm went off, he and Gaby got out of bed and dressed themselves.  "Come on, Mom! I don't want to miss a thing at school!"  He enjoys being responsible, but Gaby is responsible for turning off the alarm clock (Christian still hates loud, buzzing noises).  Here he is (above) at his desk with his birthday rice krispy treats to give out to his classmates later. 

Last night we went over the rules -- and I stressed on thing:  If you do not understand what the teacher says, raise your hand and tell her to please repeat the instructions. Christian also informed me that in first grade they no longer have sticks to move when they do not listen: Mrs. B. told the kindergarteners last year that first graders go straight to the principal's office if they are bad.  Christian is on the lookout for those stamps, too.

"The bell is going to ring and I have to go in!"  Chill out, Christian, we still have five minutes for a few photos before I start to bawl. You're growing up too fast and I want these moments to last -- the ones where you actually want me to be around and when you still need me.

Things are going to get busy around here.  In the next couple of weeks Gaby and Christian begin soccer, and this will be Gaby's first year playing.  Christian will also start religious ed. at church (what we Catholics used to call CCD). Gaby and Jojo will begin preschool in September, and my classes start next week.  Busy days are ahead, but at least not everything is happening at once!  And after months of completing computer certification classes, Mike started an internship today, and hopefully this will lead to a permanent (paid) position.

Two Score Years

Last week was a fun week filled with birthday plans with family and friends.  In our family, birthdays seem to go on for days.  We learned from my mom that birthdays are always fun and worth celebrating, no matter how old you are. She's the 'glass is half full' type, whereas at times I'm the more curmudgeonly 'glass is half empty' fool.

My mother-in-law got me a wig and it fooled everyone.  It was fun hearing some of the reactions: "Hair extensions?" or "Wow, your hair grew out fast!" Mike is clearly enthralled by my new look.

My brother Sergio sent me a gift certificate, and the message was: "Happy Birthday! Order more books from my favorite bookstore.  The only rule is:  You are not allowed to order a book by Newt Gingrich or Sarah Palin." 

The party at Mom and Dad's was real nice.

And thus my 40th year has begun on a high note with much cheerfulness and gladness to spare.

A New Decade

Christian said, "See Mom? It's your favorite color - blue!"

Wow. I can't believe I'm 40 years old! Alot of people asked me how I felt today (Sergio joked, "It's all downhill from here.") Well, I had the entire past year to think about my impending birthday, and it's not so bad.

For my 20th birthday I wished for a (serious) boyfriend.  It took awhile, but Mike found me in Phoenix and we were married when I was 29.

For my 30th birthday I wished for a child.  I got one a few years later and then some! What a blessing.

For my 35th birthday I wished for a chance to start on a Masters.  It took awhile, but I started down that path last year and am hoping, wishing, praying to St. Joseph of Cupertino that I get accepted into the program next year.

Triple Chocolate Bavarian dessert for my birthday lunch with Mom and Dad -- yum!

My 40th birthday wish is for more sweet dreams to become vivid realities. And there are some, but I'll let you know about them when I turn 50. For now, I'll continue celebrating with friends and family this week! It's a real joy and blessing to have made it this far.

Amen.

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

We drink to your coffin. May it be built from the wood

of a hundred year old oak tree

that I shall plant tomorrow.

It's Saint Patty's day, so it also means that we celebrate Aunt Patsy's birthday.  AFTER we returned from lunch, but BEFORE we could dig into the cake, Grampa and Mike set up Patsy's new table.  Grandma G.G., who has such a sweet tooth, kept asking, "When are we going to have cake?  The table can wait!" 

The boys kept staring at the luscious cream cheese cake with chocolate icing Yours Truly made.  And they put two candles on the cake.  "She's 65?!" Christian exclaimed.  "Wow!" 

The ladies were all decked out in green.  Aunt Patsy posed with Grandma G.G. and Aunt Tonie.

The boys wanted to blow out their own candles when they received their piece of deli-cio-so cake.

Happy birthday, Aunt Patsy!  Although the family celebrated with her this past weekend, today is spent bingo-ing and lunch-ing with her friends.

May you have all the happiness

and luck that life can hold—

And at the end of all your rainbows

may you find a pot of gold.

Gaby's Big Day

Gaby's birthday cake --

a construction zone with trucks,

dirt and icing - yummmm

For the third year in a row, Gaby chose a cake with dump trucks and dirt. 

Gleefully we sang the birthday song for our guiter-strumming, truck loving, machine infatuated, furniture and wall destroying, forgetful toilet flusher, adorable lisping boy wonder....

And he got trucks, trucks, and more trucks for his birthday -- even  a drill & screw driver tool with which to take apart the truck they came with.  He couldn't be more thrilled!

Christian and his friend Derek found a quiet corner to play his DS game...away from the balloons, babies, screaming kids, and big people...

Gaby baby, you rock!

Happy Birthday, Grampa!

Huge smile on his face,
Opening the door to greet
Three noisy brothers.

Arms reach out for hugs--
Robust 'a-yos' and hellos;
The drooling begins.

Like Pavlov's lab dogs --

They ask, plead, and Jojo points;

Can we have one, please?

Lovingly stashed in
Grampa's pocket, sweet taffys,
One for each grandpup.

Love You Too So Much

Hello! Well, some of you were wondering what happened? I had set my blog to 'invitation only' and had assumed that Blogger would send a message asking me to 'allow' certain of you to view it; but nooooo...you have to type in all the e-mail addresses yourself, and this queen of procrastination just could not get her act together to do it. So for now it'll remain public. I guess you could say I was actually a little disconcerted when I recently received an anonymous comment from the 'Soggy Pretzels' posting last November. It was pretty neat that someone out in the vast Internet world found this blog, but it leaves me wondering if I am giving too much information. I'm sure it's a topic most of us bloggers consider when we lay out a portion of our lives on the 'Net.

The weekend before last we had my grandmother's (Mama G.G.) surprise 90th birthday party and what a fun time we all had! She had no clue that the 60+ family and close friends were meeting her at the restaurant (we had reserved a very special room at Pappadeaux's, complete with giant screen tv and seating area apart from all the tables).

Here we are, the five of us, ready for the party. Gaby is a hat man like Grampa.

Here is Grandma when she first arrived waving at friends nearby. She was slightly confused by all the clapping as she entered the room until she recognized familiar faces and realized everyone was there for her (we celebrated her birthday one month in advance since we'll be gone this month).

Grandma with Aunt Dora and old friend Elizabeth P. Aunt Dora, who is 95, stone deaf, and as a result speaks loudly, made many memorable remarks. As each entree was brought to her she would exclaim (loudly), "I can't eat all of this!" or "No, that's too much!" or "Who ordered this?"

I believe it was right after we all ate and sang 'Happy Birthday' to Grandma that we showed the very special DVD to all the guests that my brother Sergio and sister-in-law Kyla worked tirelessly on these past months to complete in time for the party. The DVD was an interview with Grandma that we conducted a couple years ago and was made into a documentary-style movie with her talking about her life. They incorporated so many cool clips from the 20's through the 50's, and include pictures that were scanned. The end of the DVD Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' (Grandma's name is Caroline) was played and it brought the house down. At the very end you hear Grandma's sweet voice say, "It's been a wonderful life." I wish I could download the movie somehow and you could view it yourself because Sergio & Kyla did a terrific job; I wish I had half the technological skills they posses. Although Sergio & Kyla were not able to make it, their presence was very much felt.

Fr. B gives a special speech and blessing. He said (I paraphrase), "Today is not just about Caroline; it's about all of us and how she has touched our lives by her example of faith and love. By the way she never has had anything negative to say about anyone." So true. Dad also had a few words to share but could not find the right time to give his own speech. Some of his special words are below.

Daniela joins in singing 'Happy Birthday.'

On the other hand, my other brother Jaime and sister-in-law Jeanne, who live quite a bit closer, were able to come with my niece Daniela and nephew Anthony. We went to the aquarium that weekend, had a barbecue at my parents' house, and Jeanne & I met for some much needed girl talk and catching up one morning.

The cousins worn out after a day of playing in Yaya and Grampa's yard.

My nephew Anthony turns 2 this month -- he already has quite a vocabulary! My boys never uttered coherent sentences until they had at least reached the age of two. When we tell Anthony we love him he responds with, "Love you too so much." He makes my heart melt.

Sweet sis-in-law Jeanne.

Hope all is well! And, please, come back anytime.

Yes, that bush needs to be trimmed, but notice that glorious color!

Dad's special (edited) words for Grandma. For any family members and friends, a full copy can be forwarded at your request:

Introductory Remarks I Did NOT Deliver
At Mom’s 90th Birthday Celebration
Most of this did happen but some of it is apocryphal . . .


My sister, Patsy, and I thank each and every one of you for gathering with us today to honor our mother in this celebration of her 90th birthday. This observance is a bit early since Mom’s actual date of birth is June 28.

Mom is my first teacher and she is still my principle one. Whereas as a child she taught me by rote and training, she continues to teach me by example. Before I entered first grade I could recite all my prayers and some nursery rhymes and Mother Goose stories. I loved to hear her read to me with her lively interpretation which made the characters come to life, and to hear her sing with her clear sweet voice.

When I graduated from “Mary had a Little Lamb” I tried to repeat the songs I would hear her sing while she did her chores. “Mairzy doats and Doazy doats. . .” were sounds that fascinated me “. . . and little lamzydivy.” After some practice I mastered the next line: “A kiddle eadivy, too, wouldn’t you?” Only when I was a teenager did I realize it’s a song about animals, but as a kid I just liked the sounds of those nonsense words tripping off my Momma’s tongue.

...

When I was 2 years old Mom made me a present of a little brother. Since I was always stealing his bottle of milk Frank quickly learned how to take up for himself. Too small yet for him to handle me physically, he learned to disarm me with his charming humor and personality. Everybody was putty in Frank’s hands. For instance whenever I make the mistake of trying to tell an old joke in my wife’s presence she reminds me it’s an old joke. But not so with Frank; in fact, she would ask him again and again to repeat a favorite story and he would oblige and it would always sound fresh.

Frank was industrious. While still a teenager he took a job in a neighborhood grocery store where he did some stocking and sacking and eventually was trained to cut meat. Butchers are always nicking themselves with their sharp knives so in the interest of hygiene the shop always kept a box of latex fingers for protection. Frank always kept extras in his shirt pocket since he would go through several a day. When he got home he would change to go out and toss the extras in a sock drawer where he could retrieve them the next time he went to work.

One evening when Frank came home from work Mom was waiting for him. Very stern and serious she pointed to the kitchen table where she spread several latex fingers she found in his sock drawer. Her outrage rebuked him severely: “In my house! Under my roof!” It took him several anxious minutes to explain what those were all about. He later explained to me, “Ed, if Mom could kill that was the time.” He held out his thumb and forefinger millimeters apart, “I came that close!”

A huge vacuum was left in our family when Frank died suddenly in 1984. All the charm, talent, brains and wit went with him. That left Patsy and me, a little slower of wit and just a little dyslexic. I have to speak slowly and deliberately. If I don’t pick my words then things tend to come out backwards. Less so with Patsy but she did declare once that “Dog is my copilot!” I understood her right away. She was talking about Ethel.

Knowing that Patsy is at home with Mom I have never had to worry about her well being. Patsy looks after all the details and things are always in good order...

Mom’s sister, Tonie, is with us. Sister Marie Evelyn has been a Sister of Charity for some 60 years. She has spent most of her religious life in the pagan badlands of Colorado. After she helped tame down that territory she moved to back to civilization 2 years ago. While Tonie does not miss the ice and snow of Colorado, she has had to get used to the dry climate of New Mexico. I am sure she has had to reconsider if the trade off was worth it: muddy roads or itchy skin.

...

...

One other brother of Mom’s, Ray, sends his love along with regrets for not being able to be here today. ...Their children, who also live out state, have sent Mom their best wishes.

Mom’s best friend while growing up and well into adulthood was her sister, Anna. Although Anna was younger than Mom she says Anna was her mentor because she could size things up and know quickly what was going on. That’s the way my own kid brother, Frank, was with me. Mom admired Anna’s spunk and initiative and used to wonder aloud to her “How did you do that?” and she would say “Gee, Caroline, Dad just has to look at you and you look guilty. If you’re going to do something, just do it!” Mom would only take one candy bar with Grandpa’s permission but Anna would fearlessly take one more because “I asked him if I could have SOME candy.” Mom did not have that kind of nerve. About 40 years ago God took Anna and her beautiful soprano voice and she is watching us from a safe place today. But her husband, John Griego, is here with us. Uncle Johnny is a retired principal ... and is accompanied by 4 of his 6 children: Antoinette, Ann Therese, Johnny Junior, and Ron.

Mom, at 90 years of age you’re still a spring chicken when compared to your brother-in-law, Feliciano. Uncle Felix turned 95 in January! At his 90th birthday party I congratulated him on his recent second retirement as a cross guard. But Uncle Felix just shook his head sadly at me and confessed, “No, Edward, I retired too soon.” He meant it. Uncle Felix loves order and duty. Like Saint Joseph the Worker he welcomes labor as a blessing. His daughter, Dolores, and her husband, brought Uncle Felix and Aunt Regi to this celebration.

Not to be outdone, Mom’s cousin, Dora Padilla, is going to be 95 years old this summer, too...

And so many good friends are here, too. Elizabeth P, here from Santa Fe with her son John, has been a comadre with Mom for some 50 years. Elizabeth raised 12 children on the family farm in ..., later commuted to Highlands in Las Vegas and earned her degree and worked at the Boys School in ... long enough to earn a state pension. Our families were always exchanging visits, often without notice especially in those early years when long distance calls were complicated and expensive. Mom found she had a long weekend available so she took advantage of the time and took the Greyhound to visit Elizabeth in Maxwell. Elizabeth’s husband, Manuel, answered the phone when Mom called from the Maxwell bus stop, and when he picked her up he explained Elizabeth was out for the weekend visiting a relative.

Mom spent the weekend at the farm with Manuel and the kids and on Monday morning when she was getting ready to enter the Greyhound, Elizabeth stepped down. Aunt Anna MUST have been right! I can only imagine Manuel, who always tried to avoid even the appearance of evil, was in high blush. But, Ooooooh, did Frankie have a field day with that one! Not long afterward Frank gave Mom a warm peck on the cheek, sat her down in the kitchen, and solemnly told her not to worry, that bad talk has always existed and there’s no stopping it. And he handed her dixie cupful of latex fingers.

Ever since we moved to the South Valley when I was 2 years old I have been in the shadow of the Baca family because they have always been a force in the community. ...

Their brother, Father Paul B., is also here. Father has had a significant impact on our family... Father has consented to say a few words about our mother and to bless the table before we begin our meal. Please welcome Father Paul B.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!