" I don't know how you do it.."

People who have had the priviledge of meeting my beautiful, energetic kids always tell me this: "I don't know how you do it.." I could spend all day writting a post on why and how I do it, but there is just a simple reason that sums it all: I LOVE THEM.

My love

I love this man so much. I am so blessed to have him in my life for all eternity. LOVE YOU DAN!

Our Nessa

Ne is the cutest baby ever, we love all her face expressions. I honesltly can't believe that in 2 1/2 months she will be turning one!! I don't know what to do for her little birthday... any ideas?

Danny and Woody

I have had a hard time with Danny for the past couple of months, I tried everything on the book, ignoring bad behavior, time-out, rewarding good behavior, making him fix his bad behavior like making him pick up the food he threw on the floor.... I tried so many things I can't even remember what they all were, but nothing was working, I was tired of being mad at him, I was tired of crying, and just when I thought there was nothing else to do, someone advices me to only talk to Danny in English and see how he responds. At first I wasn't sure because I KNEW Danny understood spanish, when Daniel comes home and asks him to do something it doesn't matter if it is spanish or English, he does it. Being his mom, and staying at home all day.... I knew he knew Spanish. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a chance, I had nothing to loose, nothing could be worst than what is going on I thought. So, I have been speaking only English to him for a couple of days, and he is like a whole different person. Still extremely energetic, super hyper and loud and crazy, but a more nicer brother, a more respectful son, a more kind and obedient son! I can't tell you how happy we have all been for the last couple of days. Home is now Heaven to me, and it was never like that before. Every morning I would wake up and pray and hope that today might be better than yesterday. But how was I suppose to know that Danny did not like Spanish?.... I have been speaking to him in Spanish all his little life. All I care about now is that he is HAPPY, and that makes all of us at home happy. Specially little sister Nessa, Danny has been kind enough to not push her or hit her when she follows him all day just to take his toy or to pinch his toes.

So speaking of TOYS! My smart, sweet, genius friend Karenin, gave me the idea to do something he likes doing, or to get him something, like a favorite movie, or a treat, so we went to Waltmart, and I saw WOODY! Danny LOVES Toy Story, we watch it once a day, everyday. So it made sense to get him Woody. I bought it, and since, Danny has become even more pleasant, generous, and OBEDIENT! so thank you Waltmart, thank you Karenin, Thank you Woody!

*On a different note, I almost never post a picture of my handsome husband, so here it is:

Nessa

She loves to walk!

Nessa likes "talking" on the phone

LIFE

I am not the person to stress out all the time. But, I have been super stressed for 3 months! It's always something. I was breaking out like crazy, never in my life have I had so many zits in my face! I know, it's grows. Not even when I was going through puverty, perhaps a small one once in a while but that's it. And the other day, my brother Kevin (my life savior!) came over to help me out with the kids (because they are wild and they need us to live in the jungle so they can release all that monkey energy they have)... anyways, so my favorite and only brother came to my rescue and watched the kids while I took a quick shower. I get out of the shower and got ready for the day ( finally at like 3pm) and I realized a huge part of the burden that I was carrying for 3 months was GONE! I have no idea how it happened, but it did, and I am so greatful! ... hopefully that means my face will be back to normal too.

Here are some pictures of this week:

* I am dying for Nessa's hair to grow, can you imagine her with little pigtails?? SO CUTE!

Melanie is now a WIFE!

My little sister Melanie got married Sept. 4th, I am so happy for her, I know she married a great guy who loves her enormously. That day was one of the craziest days of my life, running after Danny with Vanessa on my arm, trying to help out with the reception left and right.... it was insane. Nevertheless, I am so glad everything turned out great, and I am also glad it is over. It's interesting to think how much a wedding reception can bring you so much stress.. it should be all about having fun and making it pretty, but for us women, we put all our emotions into everything we do... That's why it always turns out perfect!! :)

Te amo Peru!

I NEED to go back to PERU. The most beautiful and fun place you could ever be at. Peruvians are very LOVING, PASSIONATE, FUN people. I am so PROUD to be part of such a great country. There is not a day since I moved to the US that I don't think about going back. Sometimes at random places I smell something... a scent that reminds me of Peru, and for a minute, I feel at home again. I WANT TO GO HOME! My country is not as successful as others... but that doesn't change the beauty of our country and the beauty of our people. My heart hurts when I think about Peru, because I know I won't be going back any time soon. I miss it, I miss EVERYTHING about Peru.

*Since I was feeling homesick I turned on some music from Peru, and Danny was kind enough to dance along to it and make me smile. Thank you Danny.

I miss Danny

This little boy here has been in time out so much this week... yet, I LOVE him more than ever.

I wish I could give him all the attention that he needs and deserves, but this month has been the busiest month of the year so far! I miss him, I miss it when it was just me and him at home all day. I miss all the time we use to spend together, I miss him being my baby. Of course, I love Vanessa with all my heart, but I know that in a way it is hard for him. He is so active and full of energy 24/7 that he needs lots of love and attention. I wish I could give it to him. I do love my life, and I feel so blessed and so loved by my Heavenly Father that I want to share that love with everybody I care about, my friends, my family... It's hard to balance being a good wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend and so on. I hope that one day, when life (hopefully) is a little less hectic, I can once again, have more one on one time with my Danny. I need it too. I can't help but to feel guilt and a little bit of sadness. I know he misses me too. I love you Danny.

PRETTY GIRL!

The amazing photographer Houston Craft came into town from Washington to visit my brother in law Michael Zaro, and offered to take some pictures of Vanessa for free! Ready for some more cuteness? here are some more pictures:

Funny little guy

*Sorry about the mess in my apartment. If you have small children, you know that messes are not always the easiest to avoid :)

I love:

I LOVE Danny's beautiful big brown eyes and LONG eyelashes! ... and of course, I love his gorgeous tan, I am so glad I passed along some awesome genes!

I lOVE, how flirty and cuddly Vanessa is! it doesn't matter how squeaky or naughty she is being, just by looking at her cute face makes all of us want to hug her and lover her!... she has all of us under some kind of spell!

July Pictures

Blurry family pictures at my parent's house

Nessa has TWO little teeth!

Watching "Toy Story" with Danny (they love watching movies together)

Pretending to take a nap with his Tiger Lantern

Playing at the Park

Nessa on the swing

Watching "Toy Story" again

Our Nessa

Busy and Happy

If you are a mom you know you have a busy life. If you are a mom and work, then you have a busy busy life. Some days are more hectic than others, some days I feel like I can't wake up because I am so tired, but I am so happy to be blessed with wonderful children, a part time job which I love! (it's so nice to only work a couple of hours during the week, it brings extra money, and I am only away from the kids for a short time), and an INCREDIBLE, SUPPORTIVE, HELPFUL HUSAND who does pretty much everything any stay home mom would do: While I am at work, he cooks, cleans, take care of the kids, plays with them, he changes their diapers, takes Danny to the pool all the time, puts them to bed... I couldn't ask for more! When I mentioned to him that I wanted to get a part time job, he let me know that I didn't need to work, but I did it and It is so nice to be able to help with bills, I can see it relieves some stress off his shoulders, he is more relaxed and I know it makes him happy, and I love that. Even thought I don't express out loud all of what Dan does for me and the kids, I want to take this moment to let everyone know how amazing he is. He is conservative at times, he might seem a little serious, but he is the best man I have ever met in my life. He is always so sweet, tells me that he loves me a thousand times a day! no joke. We find each other hilarious! that's always a plus. He can be super goofy with the kids when we are at our home, he is such a hard worker, and always aspires to complete his goals in life. He is always concern about my feelings, always wants me to be happy and he would do anything to see me content. He has made so many sacrifices for me and the kids. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. I am not the best at expressing to people the way I feel about him, it's hard to explain to people how much I love him, all I can say is that If you try to get to know him, you will see the great man that he is. The most loving, gentle, caring, and respectful husband anyone would love to have. You will see what I see. He is always understanding, always listens, and he is there for me whenever I need him. He is my best friend, my eternal companion, my forever LOVE.

* I also want to thank my sister Melanie (who just turned 20 years old yesterday!) how much I appreciate her help. She sometimes comes over and helps out with the kids while I am at work. Thank you so much Melanie!!!

*Even thought we are so busy, we always have time to enjoy our kids, and see them grow and learn new things. Here is a short clip of our Danny. (it's in spanish... sorry)

Believe it or not, it brings back good memories of my brother, Mike...

I know that some of you are aware of my obsession with electronics (more specifically, smart phones). I obtained my first one about three years ago and have had one since. I love trying new things on them and exploring their capabilities. What many of you do not know is that there are a couple applications that have allowed me to vivify a particularly special occasion with my brother, Mike. Before the funeral, I went with my Uncles Marty and Greg to dress my brother in his final resting clothes. The experience was... well... it's hard to put into words. It was an opportunity for some closure, an opportunity to pay my last respects to him, an opportunity to see his body one last time. We dressed Mike in a pressed white shirt, navy blue slacks, with black socks, belt, and shoes. Michelle picked out the picture for us to lay in the casket with his body. That picture embodied all of my brother's best qualities ... the love he had for us, the happiness he felt when with family, and best of all, his smile. Vivid is the memory that walks with me almost daily of that experience. As I left the funeral home that day, my uncles and I parted ways to travel home. I was alone. It was hard ... knowing that I had just seen my brother for the last time (for a time, anyway). As I began to drive, I knew that I needed some help focusing so I turned on the radio. I bet your wondering what this has to with phones, aren't you? Well, there were only two songs that I listened to on the radio that day... both of which I probably would have never listened to again had I not had my smart phone. I used an app on my phone to listen to a clip of the songs, and in turn was able to find out the song title and artist. Today, my thanks are to the ever prevalent technology we have in our lives. I listen to these two songs again and again, remembering the beautiful experience of my last time with my brother. Anyway, you can tell where my thoughts have been today, as they are everyday, but today was definitely more pronounced. I have included links to the songs so if you would like to listen to them you may.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWdrO4BoCu8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA7qJv2zfgo

One little Tooth

First, let me tell you how cute she is! we have the prettiest, squeakiest, most talented and beautiful daughter in the world!

* I took this picture a couple of days ago. She actually has had this tooth for 2 weeks but we just now got a picture of it and wanted to post it!

* Her second bottom tooth started to pop out yesterday!

Danny is such a good helper.....sometimes

Watering abuelito's plants

Who is the cutest baby girl in the world?

NESSA IS!

The cutest little tongue

Our little walker

As promised, here is a video of Nessa trying to walk. You can't tell very much from this video but she is actually holding most of her own weight. She is so talented!