Merry Christmas everyone! We're snowed in! We couldn't even make a 5 miles drive to Grandma's house :( I guess I have a little time to post. I find this video very funny. Any time we take the kids' clothes off, they like to run around screaming, hahahaha. Check it out.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
First time away from the kids!
Last November 27th was Daddy's and Mommy's 10th wedding anniversary. That day we took a plane to visit my family in the Dominican Republic :) We were gone for 9 days. We had a blast, but we missed our children so bad. The first few days, it felt good to be away. However, we started missing our kiddos so bad later on. Every time I would see a toddler, I would just melt thinking about my trio. They did very good for Grandma, sleeping all night and not getting too crabby. Grandma gave each one a picture of us. They would carry around our picture and say "bye, bye." The girls would hold on to the pictures more so than Armando. Grandma said that when they would be having a tantrum, she would give them the picture and they would calm down. However, Armando would look at the picture for a second, then throw it on the floor and continue on with his business. Hahahaha. But the girls on the other hand would hold on to the picture, look at it and say "bye, bye."
Back to the trip. The first thing that I did once I arrived to Santo Domingo was to find a beauty salon. Back home it is VERY important to have your hair done and straighten :) I wouldn't feel comfortable visiting all my relatives and friends with an afro (that's what my curly hair turns into down there with the crazy humidity). Thanks to my dear friend Farah, I was able to get my hair done with the same lady that did my hair with when I lived down there :) It was great to see everybody. Pictures will describe better our trip.
Me after getting my hair done :) I should have taken a before picture, but I don't know if I would have the nerve to post it here, hahahahaha.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!! The food!!!! These was part of a buffet at the hotel! Yum!!
Something else that was VERY high on the to do list was to go dancing! Yay!!! We Dominicans love to dance! Unfortunately, Daddy has 2 left feet (sorry honey, but it's true). Not to mention that in rural usa would be hard to find a disco with Latin music! My sister was kind enough to take me out dancing and let me dance the night away with her husband :) Thank you sis.! Thank you Tony! Being out of the loop with was in with music, it was reality check for me to see how much the music has changed. Thankfully, Tony (my brother in law) knew of a party going on just at a park where the music being played was the so called "clasicos" or retro merengues and bachata from my time, hahahaha. We had a great time there! We dance on the sidewalk and ate a humongous sandwich from the very popular food stand called "El Forty." Don't ask me why is called like that, I have no idea. But the food was awesome! It's too bad that I don't have pictures of us dancing on the street! Don't be shocked, dancing on the street is very popular in my Caribbean country :) It's fun!
After all the partying in Santo Domingo, we head to my home city - San Fco. de Macoris to visit my dad and my other sister Wendy. It was hard for me to step in my parents house and not find my mom :( Last time I visited the Dominican Republic was back in 2005 for my mom's funeral :( It was so hard to walk in the house and not find her there. I guess I still have some healing to do .... it was good for me to confront that reality. My sister Wendy cooked a feast for us! She made sancocho (a traditional Dominican dish) and it was very tasty. Thank you Wendy for taking the time to put on this feast:) After filling our bellies up, we took time to catch up and reminiscing about our mom. Later on in the day we visited her grave that was a very powerful experience for me. All the feelings that I have been keeping in safe box locked up in my heart came rushing out leaving me with a sense of peace and acceptances.
Then we spend a little time at a beautiful green area, taking pictures of everybody:) From left to right my sister Alpha, Wendy and me (in order of birth).
On this one from left to right Wendy, my dad, myself and Alpha.
My family.
After visiting San Fco. we head to Punta Cana (east part of the island with the most beautiful beaches). Matt and I hanging out by the pool.
Me by the beach, enjoying a fruity drink :)
Relaxing in the pool.
When we got to the all inclusive resort, dh surprised me with a room upgrade. He upgraded us from a standard room to a honeymoon suite :) It was very nice room and dh definitely earned lots of brownie points:) This is part of the bathroom.
The living room.
The bedroom.
The view from our balcony.
After a nice few days at the resort, we returned to Santo Domingo to catch a fly to Miami. There we met my dear friend Flerida:) Flerida and I downtown Miami.
Flerida and her dh took us downtown and we stopped to eat at a nice outdoors cafe. The food was yummy! Matt ordered a portobello burger, which turned out to be huge and tasty.
I ordered jambalaya. It was delicious, but I couldn't eat the whole plate. I think that I could eat for a week from that one plate. The servings were huge!
Back to the trip. The first thing that I did once I arrived to Santo Domingo was to find a beauty salon. Back home it is VERY important to have your hair done and straighten :) I wouldn't feel comfortable visiting all my relatives and friends with an afro (that's what my curly hair turns into down there with the crazy humidity). Thanks to my dear friend Farah, I was able to get my hair done with the same lady that did my hair with when I lived down there :) It was great to see everybody. Pictures will describe better our trip.
Me after getting my hair done :) I should have taken a before picture, but I don't know if I would have the nerve to post it here, hahahahaha.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!! The food!!!! These was part of a buffet at the hotel! Yum!!
Something else that was VERY high on the to do list was to go dancing! Yay!!! We Dominicans love to dance! Unfortunately, Daddy has 2 left feet (sorry honey, but it's true). Not to mention that in rural usa would be hard to find a disco with Latin music! My sister was kind enough to take me out dancing and let me dance the night away with her husband :) Thank you sis.! Thank you Tony! Being out of the loop with was in with music, it was reality check for me to see how much the music has changed. Thankfully, Tony (my brother in law) knew of a party going on just at a park where the music being played was the so called "clasicos" or retro merengues and bachata from my time, hahahaha. We had a great time there! We dance on the sidewalk and ate a humongous sandwich from the very popular food stand called "El Forty." Don't ask me why is called like that, I have no idea. But the food was awesome! It's too bad that I don't have pictures of us dancing on the street! Don't be shocked, dancing on the street is very popular in my Caribbean country :) It's fun!
After all the partying in Santo Domingo, we head to my home city - San Fco. de Macoris to visit my dad and my other sister Wendy. It was hard for me to step in my parents house and not find my mom :( Last time I visited the Dominican Republic was back in 2005 for my mom's funeral :( It was so hard to walk in the house and not find her there. I guess I still have some healing to do .... it was good for me to confront that reality. My sister Wendy cooked a feast for us! She made sancocho (a traditional Dominican dish) and it was very tasty. Thank you Wendy for taking the time to put on this feast:) After filling our bellies up, we took time to catch up and reminiscing about our mom. Later on in the day we visited her grave that was a very powerful experience for me. All the feelings that I have been keeping in safe box locked up in my heart came rushing out leaving me with a sense of peace and acceptances.
Then we spend a little time at a beautiful green area, taking pictures of everybody:) From left to right my sister Alpha, Wendy and me (in order of birth).
On this one from left to right Wendy, my dad, myself and Alpha.
My family.
After visiting San Fco. we head to Punta Cana (east part of the island with the most beautiful beaches). Matt and I hanging out by the pool.
Me by the beach, enjoying a fruity drink :)
Relaxing in the pool.
When we got to the all inclusive resort, dh surprised me with a room upgrade. He upgraded us from a standard room to a honeymoon suite :) It was very nice room and dh definitely earned lots of brownie points:) This is part of the bathroom.
The living room.
The bedroom.
The view from our balcony.
After a nice few days at the resort, we returned to Santo Domingo to catch a fly to Miami. There we met my dear friend Flerida:) Flerida and I downtown Miami.
Flerida and her dh took us downtown and we stopped to eat at a nice outdoors cafe. The food was yummy! Matt ordered a portobello burger, which turned out to be huge and tasty.
I ordered jambalaya. It was delicious, but I couldn't eat the whole plate. I think that I could eat for a week from that one plate. The servings were huge!After a day in Miami, we flew back home the next dat. We were so excited to see the kiddos again. We were expecting lots of excitement from them. We kept telling each other how they were going to react when they saw us. We were both SOOO wrong.... When we got home, they just stared at us. It was almost like if they were thinking "so you guys finally decided to show up, just when we were getting used to being without you." To our disappointment, there were hardly any reaction from those three. Grandma had introduced them to cookies, and that was better than having Mom and Dad home. On the bright side, we won't feel as bad as we did this time when we take another trip without them, ah!
Merry Christmas everybody!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Photo shoot disaster!
We took the kids to get their 18 month old picture taken. It was a disaster! Nobody was in the mood for pictures that day. They would take off on different directions when we would try to sit them down with us for a family picture. There was a lot of crying and to top it all up, the photographer wasn't quick enough. Any little chance she had to take a good picture was missed because she took too long to snap it! Grrrrr! We only got one photo with all three and both girls have crying faces. It was very frustrating! I just hope that for their 2 year old picture, they will be more cooperative. These are the very few good shots we got. I guess we just gonna have to be happy with that.
Miss Alea. She was rolling on the floor having a temper tantrum, but this one picture came out of that tantrum. Lol!
At the end Armando would just sit there and stare at the photographer.
Arianna wouldn't give up this teddy bear, but at least she gave us this sweet picture.
Miss Alea. She was rolling on the floor having a temper tantrum, but this one picture came out of that tantrum. Lol!
At the end Armando would just sit there and stare at the photographer.
Arianna wouldn't give up this teddy bear, but at least she gave us this sweet picture.We do have a couple of acceptable family pictures, but I’m saving those for later. I might use them for our Christmas cards.
Oh, did I mention that we were at Sears for hours! We tried twice for pictures the same morning. I guess I just gonna have to get over it.
Other than that, the kids are doing great! They are learning so much. They love to throw their arms up in the air and say "all gone" when their plates are empty (most of the time). Also, they can say "guacala" which means "yucky." They love to climb on all the chairs and couches. They are also running, and they love to walk / play outside. Alea says "annia," trying to say "Arianna." Those girls look out for each other. If one of them is crying, the other one would bring her a teddy bear or whatever item Mommy took away. When we're getting ready to go outside, they grab their coats. I'm just amazed that they know which one is theirs (especially with the girls because both coats are pink). I found out that apparently I talk on the phone a lot. Usually when I'm on the phone, I walk around doing something else (putting toys away, dishes, etc.). Well, now my three little monkeys like to grab a toy phone and they walk around and talk, lol. It's so funny to watch. Anytime they are "on the phone," walking goes with it. Hahahaha. They love to copy anything we do. When one start something, immediately the other two follow suit. Monkey see monkey do.
We are almost done with teeth!! Wooohhooo!!! Armando is cutting his last tooth (not counting the 2 year molars). Arianna is cutting the last 3 teeth. Alea has 4 left, but no sign of them showing up.
They are eating everything we offer. I can't complain on that because they are all very good eaters:)We are looking forward to Thanksgiving :) We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful for our healthy kids. We've been truly blessed:) Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Oh, did I mention that we were at Sears for hours! We tried twice for pictures the same morning. I guess I just gonna have to get over it.
Other than that, the kids are doing great! They are learning so much. They love to throw their arms up in the air and say "all gone" when their plates are empty (most of the time). Also, they can say "guacala" which means "yucky." They love to climb on all the chairs and couches. They are also running, and they love to walk / play outside. Alea says "annia," trying to say "Arianna." Those girls look out for each other. If one of them is crying, the other one would bring her a teddy bear or whatever item Mommy took away. When we're getting ready to go outside, they grab their coats. I'm just amazed that they know which one is theirs (especially with the girls because both coats are pink). I found out that apparently I talk on the phone a lot. Usually when I'm on the phone, I walk around doing something else (putting toys away, dishes, etc.). Well, now my three little monkeys like to grab a toy phone and they walk around and talk, lol. It's so funny to watch. Anytime they are "on the phone," walking goes with it. Hahahaha. They love to copy anything we do. When one start something, immediately the other two follow suit. Monkey see monkey do.
We are almost done with teeth!! Wooohhooo!!! Armando is cutting his last tooth (not counting the 2 year molars). Arianna is cutting the last 3 teeth. Alea has 4 left, but no sign of them showing up.
They are eating everything we offer. I can't complain on that because they are all very good eaters:)We are looking forward to Thanksgiving :) We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful for our healthy kids. We've been truly blessed:) Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Donde esta el ombliguito?
The kids first learned to point to their bellies and now they can find their belly button. I was trying to get it on video and this is the best shot I got. I just think it's pretty funny, hahaha.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Happy Halloween 2009!
Happy Halloween everybody! We spent the day mostly at home. We took the kids trick or treating to a neighbor’s house and to grandmas’ house. It's too complicated to load and unload kids from the van and neighbors are too far away that it will be too long of a walk. When the kids get a little bit older, we'll venture out to town :) But for now we only did a practice run:)
Here is Alea wearing her Halloween pjs :) I found this cute PJs (I think they are PJs) for the girls:)
Arianna being silly in her PJs.
This is the front of the PJs. I think it's SO cute :)
I tried taking a picture of Armando, but he wouldn't stand still. I put him in the booster seat and this is the face he gave me. Hahahaha.
We didn't do coordinating outfit for the kids. Sometime it's a good idea to have them do /wear individual things:) Not to mentioned that we borrowed 2 of the outfits and the 3rd on was given, hahahaha.
Armando was a lion:) He learned how to roar, but he wouldn't do it in front of anybody. That stinker!
Have I mentioned how hard it is to take a picture of the kids now? It's almost impossible to have them pose individually and even worse to have them pose for a trio picture. This might be the best shot of the three together, lol. From left to right Alea, Armando and Arianna.
Alea and Arianna.
Arianna was a bumble bee.
Alea as a cow. Can she be more excited? Do you notice my sarcasm?
Isn't he sweet? 
Of we go to the closest neighbor :)
Here is Alea wearing her Halloween pjs :) I found this cute PJs (I think they are PJs) for the girls:)
Arianna being silly in her PJs.
This is the front of the PJs. I think it's SO cute :)
I tried taking a picture of Armando, but he wouldn't stand still. I put him in the booster seat and this is the face he gave me. Hahahaha.We didn't do coordinating outfit for the kids. Sometime it's a good idea to have them do /wear individual things:) Not to mentioned that we borrowed 2 of the outfits and the 3rd on was given, hahahaha.
Armando was a lion:) He learned how to roar, but he wouldn't do it in front of anybody. That stinker!
Have I mentioned how hard it is to take a picture of the kids now? It's almost impossible to have them pose individually and even worse to have them pose for a trio picture. This might be the best shot of the three together, lol. From left to right Alea, Armando and Arianna.
Alea and Arianna.
Arianna was a bumble bee.
Alea as a cow. Can she be more excited? Do you notice my sarcasm?
Isn't he sweet? 
Of we go to the closest neighbor :)Hope everybody had a happy Halloween :)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
We're still here :)
I know it's been forever since I posted last, but school is keeping me crazy busy. I'm half ways my semester and I can't wait for it to be over. Summer went by too soon:( I'm already missing our “getaways” to the park when the kids would get crabby. Everybody did great at the milk challenge. The worst part was to get the IVs needles in them. Arianna was poked FOUR times before they finally got it. Armando was poked three times and lucky Miss Alea just one time. I'm just glad I didn't have to witness each one. Daddy took Alea, Grandma took Armando and I held Arianna. Now they can eat anything no matter how much dairy or soy is in it, hahaha. It's so weird to give them a chunk of cheese, when a couple of months ago we didn't let them get close to it. I'm so glad that everybody passed the test because they all want to it whatever the other one is eating. Now I have a lot more freedom to cook and make meals for the whole family. That has been a blessing. :) It’s been interesting to watch their reaction every time they try something new. For instance, the first time I gave them yogurt, they were not sure what to think of it. By the time the 3rd spoon rolled around, everybody was screaming for more. They love it!
It’s hard to remember what all they’re doing now, I’ll try my best. All of them have mastered their walking skill. Now is more of a quick run alone with screams, chasing each other around the house. They are climbing everywhere! The couch, chairs, toy chest, and anything they can get those little legs over. They are learning new words every day. Some of the most recent ones are: duck muck (which is their favorite book), grandma, woof woof, baa baa, maa maa, moo moo, papi (Daddy) + all the words that I have mentioned before. They are also following commands such as: cierra la puerta (close de door), traeme los zapatos de Alea (bring me Alea’s shoes), busca otro libro (get another book). It’s fascinating to watch them follow commands. I didn’t realize how much they really understand. It’s amazing!
We had our NICU follow up and I’m happy to announce that we have graduated from the NICU! We won’t have to go to any more follow ups! Woohhoooo! They are done :) We also had our 18 months check up. Everybody is doing very well. The stats were:
Arianna 21 lbs & 9 ounces, 30 inches long
Alea 22 lbs & 8 ounces, 30 ¼ long
Armando 23 lbs, 31 inches long
At the end of September Armando was hospitalized. He wasn't eating or drinking anything. Our Dr. said that he was dehydrated and the only way to get some liquids in him was through an IV (have I mentioned how much I hate IVs in my children?). Once again, it was a bad experience; he was poked 3 times, poor guy. He only spent one night (thank God). We believe he had roseola, but by the time the rash showed up, he was home. After Armando got back to his own self, Arianna got sick with the same thing. We had a couple miserable weeks, and I'm glad that's behind us. Well the best way to remember any of the things we've done in the last couple of months is pictures:) Right?
During the Summer we were brave and took the kids to the supermarket. They LOVE to get in cart:) From left to right Arianna, Armando and Alea.
We made another trip to Kansas at the beginning of October. It was a blast. The kids had so much fun:) They love to explore:) This was fall fest weekend. This is Arianna exploring the exhibits at the Department of Economics.
Alea stretching her legs.
Armando taking everything in (as usual).
Mom!!!!!!!!! We're ready to go out now. From left to right Armando, Alea and Arianna.
Fall Fest also had a petting zoo. It was great because all the animals were small enough for our kids to pet them. Arianna had the best time. Armando and Alea were a little bit scared. On the above picture is Armando petting a baby goat.
Alea petting a chicken.
Arianna petting the baby goat. She really enjoyed it.
The kids at the petting zoo. From left to right Alea, Arianna and Armando.
The friends that we visited had this cute little tricycle with a handle to push. Alea is trying to push Arianna:) How cute:)
A wheel barrel full of toddlers :) In front Armando and Alea and in back Olivia and Arianna.
Arianna being goofy.
Alea looking adorable and innocent.
Armando smiling to the camera.
Any time I give Armando "real" silverware, he has to goof around with it, hahaha.
Alea's new ability is to take off her top after her afternoon nap. This is how I found her one day, without her top. She was SO proud of herself that she couldn't stop laughing and giggling.
We ditch our huge high chair for these cute easy to clean booster seats. The kids love to seat around the table with Mom and Dad.
It has gotten cold here, but we're not about to give up our stroller rides (at least not yet). But it takes forever to get out of the house when we need to put on coats, hats and mintens! At first the kids didn't like to be bundled up, but now they don't seem to mind it as much. On this picture is Arianna with her coat on, Alea waiting to get hers on and Armando exploring.
We go walking with our good neighbor and friend Elizabeth and her son Josh. Since I have 2 double strollers, it works great:) One for the boys and one for the girls:)
It’s hard to remember what all they’re doing now, I’ll try my best. All of them have mastered their walking skill. Now is more of a quick run alone with screams, chasing each other around the house. They are climbing everywhere! The couch, chairs, toy chest, and anything they can get those little legs over. They are learning new words every day. Some of the most recent ones are: duck muck (which is their favorite book), grandma, woof woof, baa baa, maa maa, moo moo, papi (Daddy) + all the words that I have mentioned before. They are also following commands such as: cierra la puerta (close de door), traeme los zapatos de Alea (bring me Alea’s shoes), busca otro libro (get another book). It’s fascinating to watch them follow commands. I didn’t realize how much they really understand. It’s amazing!
We had our NICU follow up and I’m happy to announce that we have graduated from the NICU! We won’t have to go to any more follow ups! Woohhoooo! They are done :) We also had our 18 months check up. Everybody is doing very well. The stats were:
Arianna 21 lbs & 9 ounces, 30 inches long
Alea 22 lbs & 8 ounces, 30 ¼ long
Armando 23 lbs, 31 inches long
At the end of September Armando was hospitalized. He wasn't eating or drinking anything. Our Dr. said that he was dehydrated and the only way to get some liquids in him was through an IV (have I mentioned how much I hate IVs in my children?). Once again, it was a bad experience; he was poked 3 times, poor guy. He only spent one night (thank God). We believe he had roseola, but by the time the rash showed up, he was home. After Armando got back to his own self, Arianna got sick with the same thing. We had a couple miserable weeks, and I'm glad that's behind us. Well the best way to remember any of the things we've done in the last couple of months is pictures:) Right?
During the Summer we were brave and took the kids to the supermarket. They LOVE to get in cart:) From left to right Arianna, Armando and Alea.
We made another trip to Kansas at the beginning of October. It was a blast. The kids had so much fun:) They love to explore:) This was fall fest weekend. This is Arianna exploring the exhibits at the Department of Economics.
Alea stretching her legs.
Armando taking everything in (as usual).
Mom!!!!!!!!! We're ready to go out now. From left to right Armando, Alea and Arianna.
Fall Fest also had a petting zoo. It was great because all the animals were small enough for our kids to pet them. Arianna had the best time. Armando and Alea were a little bit scared. On the above picture is Armando petting a baby goat.
Alea petting a chicken.
Arianna petting the baby goat. She really enjoyed it.
The kids at the petting zoo. From left to right Alea, Arianna and Armando.
The friends that we visited had this cute little tricycle with a handle to push. Alea is trying to push Arianna:) How cute:)
A wheel barrel full of toddlers :) In front Armando and Alea and in back Olivia and Arianna.
Arianna being goofy.
Alea looking adorable and innocent.
Armando smiling to the camera.
Any time I give Armando "real" silverware, he has to goof around with it, hahaha.
Alea's new ability is to take off her top after her afternoon nap. This is how I found her one day, without her top. She was SO proud of herself that she couldn't stop laughing and giggling.
We ditch our huge high chair for these cute easy to clean booster seats. The kids love to seat around the table with Mom and Dad.
It has gotten cold here, but we're not about to give up our stroller rides (at least not yet). But it takes forever to get out of the house when we need to put on coats, hats and mintens! At first the kids didn't like to be bundled up, but now they don't seem to mind it as much. On this picture is Arianna with her coat on, Alea waiting to get hers on and Armando exploring.
We go walking with our good neighbor and friend Elizabeth and her son Josh. Since I have 2 double strollers, it works great:) One for the boys and one for the girls:)
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