Just Because

Snow Day

After we all got over our colds and bronchitis, we decided to venture north to the mountains.  It was a clear, beautiful day!  This is his first sleigh ride.  He kept asking me where Santa was and I told him that Santa was in the pet store behind us.

Just like with dirt, sand, mud and hay, all he wanted to do with the snow was kick it around.

A new friend.

I can't get over how cute he looks with all of these clothes on!

This has to be my new favorite photo.  We had a wonderful day with our family and Salvatore even went tubing with Daddy!

Taking After Aunt Sara

Salvatore has an Aunt Sara who loves to take great pictures.  We went out for dinner last night and to entertain him after he ate, I gave him my camera to see what he could do.  He honestly took all of these photos on his own!

Tias (aunts) and mommy

Daddy and half of Tio Jorge's face

Tias

Tio Flavio y Tia Rocio

Abuelos (grandparents)

How did these FIT down the chimney?

I got Salvatore a wagon!  He helped me put it together, sort of.  He really just kept handing me the wheels and stepping on the directions while I was assembling the rest.  I love it because it has a canopy, an extra storage space in the back and even little seatbelts.  Far more advanced than the rusty wagons we had as kids, but same function and fun.  We pushed him around at the park today and he loved both pulling it and riding in it!

Daddy and his uncles bought him this little motorcycle and helmet.  It has a little motor (like those little cars or jeeps you buy from Toys R Us), but he mostly just sits on it right now.  He has very good balance from riding his other motorcycle and push cars.  Most of the dads will think, "Awesome, where can I get one for my boy?" and most of you moms are thinking, "Never, ever would I let _______ even near one of those."  OH, the many joys of parenting!

Miracle on Greenwood Ave.

With David's family visiting, we are celebrating many Mexican traditions.  One is to have a late Christmas Eve dinner with the whole family and then to stay up til midnight and open presents.  So, last night, we had 50 people over to celebrate our Lord's birth!  It was a great night filled with laughter, good food, great presents, and such.  Some of my family (we dearly missed the rest of you all) joined us as well, which is a gift to me, as I have never spent a Christmas without them!  My family presented a small, but loving number-me, Salvatore, my dad, Brian, Sita, Fred, and the miracle....which was my real maternal grandfather Bobby.  Without going into much detail, with Sita and Fred together since I was a young child, we have spent our holidays with them, and my grandfather choose to celebrate in his own way and do his own thing, which we all respected.  Changes have occurred this year that I can not explain, but they have been for the better, and my grandfather Bobby has chosen to spend more and more time with all of us, including my Sita's husband Fred.  This was the first Christmas that Brian and I got to spend with Bobby and it makes for a wonderful memory.  (For those of you who have known the Keysors for years, I am sure you read this with your mouths wide open-because you get how extraordinary ( a miracle really) this change is in our family!)

Vacation Monday

With company here, Salvatore gets to sleep with mommy and daddy!  We love it!  After brushing his teeth, I brought him into bed with me in the back bedroom by the backyard.  He is not used to sleeping in this room, so I was initially concerned.  No need...we crawled into bed and I read to him from Aesop's Fables.  He listened until his eyes fell heavy and he rubbed my arm as he drifted off.  We all slept soundly until 9:30 a.m. this morning!  Salvatore woke up happy as usual and I made a quick breakfast in bed.  We sat up eating and watching some Dora Christmas special.  He was answering every question Dora asked in Spanish and English!  We are still snuggling and I love that I don't have to get up or go anywhere or check my phone or anything!  Ahhhh.....vacation!

Here was his favorite Aesop's Fables story from last night:

Father and Sons

A man had several sons who were always quarreling with one another, 

and, try as he might, he could not get them to live together in harmony.

So he determined to convince them of their folly by the following means.

Bidding them fetch a bundle of sticks, he invited each one in turn to break 

the bundle across his knee.

All tried and all failed: and then he undid the bundle, and handed them the sticks one by one, which they had no difficulty at all in breaking.

"There, my boys," said he, "united you will be more than a match for your enemies: but if you quarrel and separate, your weakness will put you at the mercy of those who attack you."

Griffith Observatory

Today, we visited the spectacular Griffith Observatory.  If you have never been, add it to your list now.  It is free to park and free to enter.  We paid to watch one show about the universe and it was AMAZING! The views from every terrace were incredible-we could see from the Hollywood sign to Long Beach and Palos Verdes.  The best part, though, was to see it all through Salvatore's eyes.  

Preggo in the Club

Last night, we all went dancing in a club in Glendale

So nice to dance and laugh with my husband

So nice to get dressed up with his sisters 

 Aren't they just gorgeous?

Her Sweet Face

Today my doctor confirmed that we are expecting a little girl!  I will always remember the feeling when I first saw her face staring at me...

Play that Funky Music

This was his present from his Godfather, Daniel (who is also a great DJ)!!

Too Young for a Gingerbread Train

So I was shopping at Albertson's the other day and saw a kit for a Gingerbread Train.  My imagination immediately went wild-oh, how Salvatore will love this, we can make it together with David's parents, we can laugh and smile while we take pictures and make lasting Christmas memories, blah blah blah.  Here is how it REALLY went:

1. Salvatore's only interest was opening the candy bags and pouring them into bowls.

2. Benedict trying consistently to lick and/or eat anything that was close to or on the edge of the table.

3.  I was horrible at putting it together and had trouble following simple English directions. ( The picture did not represent what was in the package and vice versa).

4.  Salvatore lost interest after 2 minutes, Benny lost interest after about 15, and I gave up after 20. 

5.  David's mom, Lourdes, stayed up for awhile afterwards and finished it, and when I woke up in the morning, it actually looked better than the picture on the box!  One of the many reasons why I love her, she makes everything look easy and special!

They Have Air Hockey Here????

Salvatore now shares mommy's love of Air Hockey!!  If I am anywhere, and I see an Air Hockey or Skeeball game, I will play.  We taught Salvatore how to play Air Hockey the other night and he loved it.  $5 later, he finally ventured off to look at the other games.   He also really loved the game where you aim the water gun at the target and spray the water continuously until your light reaches the top. I sat a stack of tokens on the table next to me while he sat on my lap for this game and he loved helping me aim the water gun.  At the end of the game, while I had my arms in the air cheering, he grabbed the whole stack of tokens and said, "Mira (look) momma, la fuente (the fountain)!" and threw the whole stack in the water! We always go to this fountain close to our house and I let him throw in all of my pennies.  I guess he thought this was the same thing!!!

Suegros (In-Laws)

David and I are both blessed to have in-laws whom we love and love us back.  After a wonderful holiday visit with David's family, they returned home today and our house feels empty.  We are always grateful for the time that we can spend together, and this visit was no exception.  Each year, we try to see new things and travel to new places.  I will miss them so much, but know that we have our next visit to look forward to, especially with our baby girl coming this spring.  I am thankful to Lourdes and Armando for giving me David and his sisters.  And I am honored to share my growing family with them.  My mom will be visiting next and more good times lie ahead.

We Love Cake!

Desserts have a special place in life.  My family could eat dessert after every meal.  Chocolate, cupcakes, Sita's brownies, candy, pudding, we love it all.  But there is something about a cake that brings everyone together.  And we love being together!

My favorite is the frosting!

Looks like his is too!

Big bite!

Last year at his first birthday party!

David got me on the nose with our wedding cake!

Happy 2nd Birth Day!

I used to rarely think about moms or dads on birthdays, only the person who was having the birthday.  Now, I can't stop thinking about the moms and dads on people's birth days because I KNOW!  A parent will know the difference between a "birthday" and a "birth day".  One is for the person and the other is for the parents. Salvatore's birth day has been, by far, the best day of my life.  His first year was PRECIOUS, and this year has been FUN!  I am so thrilled to find out what this year will bring.  Thank you God for our family, our friends and for our son!

I Knew my 100th Post Would Be a Good One!

I went with Salvatore and my friend Sara tonight to a free ultrasound that was offered through ATI College in Santa Ana.  We went knowing that it would be a fun, free experience that also helped many student nurses and technicians learn how to conduct sonograms.  I arrived only expecting to just see the baby move around.  With the main nurse and doctor there, I got to really see my baby and they took all of the measurements and assured me that everything was great. Bonus! I laid there for about an hour while each student tooks turns "practicing" on me.  And then they could see the sex of the baby, not 100% clear, but pretty sure.  They said , "Looks like a girl to me."  EXTRA BONUS!  The ultrasound that is scheduled with my regular doctor is Thursday, December 17th, and he can confirm it then.  It pretty much looks like a girl to all of us too!  Mi dulce nina-my sweet girl!  Our sweet girl!

 

What is a Friend?

"A friend is someone who knows all about you, and loves you anyways."  A friend is someone who gets excited for you and your excitement over whatever you are excited about.  A friend is someone who does all that is takes to accompany you on these exciting endeavors.  Someone who waits for you at the restaurant and has your food ready at the table when you arrive 40 minutes late.  Someone who packages up the rest of the food for you to take to work tomorrow.  And drives with you to the doctor for your ultrasound, and brings the CD you need and has perfect directions when you forgot to google them.  Watches your son for you with the perfect blend of teacher, mommy and total entertainer.  Oohs and aahs at your ultrasound photos while caring for and teaching your son.  A friend is someone who hugs you just as hard as you hug them and delights in your new delights.  Thanks Sara!  Tonight meant more to me than you will ever know!

Please come...

see my two year old smile

while we remember the newborn baby smile

at my 2nd birthday party this Sunday, December 6th at 1pm.  

We can't wait to see you!!

Art without the Mess

Not that I am opposed to messes, but I don't have paints laying around the house.  While searching for a game for Salvatore to play on my computer, I came across www.jacksonpollock.org and if you just click on the website above the streaming video (where it says enter jackson pollock), it will give you a blank canvas.  My blonde hair and I stared at the blank canvas for quite awhile before I angrily touched the mouse and realized that the canvas was waiting for us to touch the mouse.  It gives you black paint first and as you move your mouse around, it paints.  To change the paint color, click your mouse and continue on.

Salvatore loved it!! Here is his first masterpiece!!

Also check out www.babygamer.com for more great games for infants and toddlers!

  

Goodnight Moon

Funeral for a Friend

Salvatore attended his first funeral yesterday.  He was wonderfully behaved.  I carried him with me to say our final good-byes to the open casket.  As if he knew to be quiet and caring, he held tightly to me and stroked my cheek as I cried.  The funeral was for one of my dad's closest friends, Allan Gantt. He and his lovely wife Diane were our first friends when we moved to Fullerton in 1985.  They owned the Century 21 Accent and Superstars Realty that my dad worked for for over 20 years!  We have many fond memories and funny stories about this great couple.  Baseball was another bond my dad shared with them.  We often shared our Angels season tickets with his Dodgers season tickets.  Salvatore's only Dodgers game was in Allan's seat.  For over 15 years, they would travel to see the Angels and Dodgers in Spring Training.  One story that my dad shared at his service was most memorable and describes Allan perfectly.  One night, after the baseball games, they all went bowling. Allan was very good.  My dad said that Allan had entered himself into a "Lights Out" bowling competition where they lined up each bowler and gave them one chance to knock down as many pins as possible. The catch was that they turned all of the lights off, except for the end where the pins stood.  Slowly, bowlers with low scores were eliminated, leaving Allan the victorious winner.  My dad said afterwards that he asked Allan how he pulled off such an amazing feat.  Allan's reply?  " I am a spot bowler. I choose and focused on one spot that I could still see and aimed for that spot."  That easily describes how he was in life...always able to see a bright spot when all else was dark.  He treated his family, friends, and business associates this way.  We all knew how he felt about us.  We all knew he had no enemies and no bad feelings for anyone.  We will all miss him very much.

This Is How We Do It

We have a tradition for birthdays...when we sing in restaurants, we give it our ALL!

All Smiles

Salvatore was all smiles last night for Tio Brian's birthday dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory!

Bunk bed

We bought Salvatore and Little Licona a bunk bed and put it together yesterday.  Salvatore will sleep on the bottom bunk for a while, and eventually he can take the top bunk when the baby moves into the bottom, or they can share.  The kids will share a room, regardless of whether we have a boy or girl.  

Molly Will Understand

Salvatore, like his girlfriend Molly, likes to wear non-hat items on his head like a hat!  He hoped that she would like this picture!

Singing in the Bathtub

He was singing "The Wheels on the Bus" song, but got a bit shy when the camera turned on!

We...took a bath....with THIS?!?!?!?

What is my biggest fear?  SPIDERS! Since I was a kid and got bit at school and went to the hospital for an allergic reaction (I will show the scar anytime), I have been afraid.  Not the "screaming girl who is trying to get attention" afraid.  Really, really afraid.  I always scream in my specific "get this ^%$#@ spider out of here" scream and most people come to my rescue.  At school, I have a specific Spider Killer job for my students where he or she must do the triple death sequence-squoosh in lots of tissue, put in sink with hot water to burn it, then flush it down the sink for drowning.  What if no one is around?  I have convinced myself a few times to kill it myself if it is really small.  Otherwise, I have been known to vacate rooms for days at a time until there is a solution.  Oh, and I get really mad at you if you come in to save me, and the spider gets away.  So usually I have my "spidey senses" on at all times and can sense them if they are near.  Seriously, sometimes I see them in the dark.  Yesterday morning, this was not the case.  I was taking a bath with Salvatore and we must have been in there for 20 MINUTES before I noticed this monster floating between us!  I screamed for David, who was sleeping, so I was on my own.  It was already dead, but I freaked out all day when I wondered how many times it must have touched me, my sweet baby, or floated around either one of us!!! UGH!!!  It hurts me to even post this pic, but you must see how gigantic it was-like the size of a quarter!!

To Answer Your Question Ana....

After reading my friend Ana's post asking, "What do your toddlers do while you are in the shower," I found out!  Salvatore was sitting so nicely on the carpet playing with his musical toy.  I was just thinking how sweet he was as I was recording him.  When I put the camera down, I went over to him to give him a big hug.  As I walked over to the other couch,  I saw what he REALLY did while I was in the shower.  First, he emptied his diaper bag completely (Cheerios and all), and then he pulled out and opened our whole pack of Trident gum.  He unwrapped each piece.  Some pieces are still unaccounted for. THEN he played nicely with his toy.  Ana, I understand completely!!!

Latest Tricks All Rolled Into One

The people in my life who don't get to see Salvatore on a regular basis always ask me what he is up to or what can he do now.  At 23 months old, he likes to hit, say sorry, kiss, make lots of faces and do many things in slow motion.  This video happens to capture him literally doing it all!

I Have a Disease

It's called "I can't leave Target without spending $200 Disease".  It is serious and there is no cure at this present time.  I went with my dad tonight and all I needed was a new ironing board cover. I walked out with two new maternity dresses, socks, makeup, a book for Salvatore, Christmas decorations, and lots more!!  I almost forgot the dumb ironing board cover but remembered at the very end.  Sigh!!!

Breakfast for Dinner

Breathless

That is how I feel when I see this photo and look into David and Salvatore's eyes!