Thanksgiving week

We have so many blessings, and it so good to remember them and take time to be thankful for them!

We were so happy to have Manny home for a week! He flew in Saturday night - Nov. 20th. and stayed with us until today, Sunday, Nov.28th. Even though he still had school homework, we were able to relax, watch movies and just enjoyed time together. His visit was the highlight of our week.


On Thanksgiving day we had eleven guest over for dinner: Sandy and Thamar Ortiz, Walter, Carmen and Jennifer Lagiglia, Carmen and Alfred Arzuaga, Maria, Valeria and Paola Ramirez, and Mario Perez. We had good food and conversation and after dinner we moved to the living room and had a great time singing and visiting. I had my camera ready, but as usual, I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURES!!:(


Friday after Thanksgiving we started getting the house all ready for Christmas. The anticipation of having some of our children and their families come home is great. Oscar took two days to build a swing set for the little ones, while I have been cooking, shopping, wrapping presents and setting up Christmas decorations. It is so much fun to be working while thinking "grandbabies".
The "new look" of our backyard.
A baby size Christmas tree in our family room.

I love this season of the year! I love a reminder to count my blessings and be thankful! I love to start all the preparations for the upcoming Christmas celebration!

I went to Disney with Dieguito!!

Tito, Karsen and Dieguito came to Florida. We were very happy they came. They had plan a trip to Orlando and invited us to go with them. It was great to get away and I really enjoyed a few truly off days! I love Dieguito and I really appreciated the opportunity to spoil him a little! He is so much fun to have around. And I was again very impressed by the way my children and their spouses are raising their children. I could see how Karsen and Tito always put Dieguito and his needs above their own. We had a very good time with all of them!

A quick trip to Utah

Since our three married children and their families were in Utah for the Summer, we decided to go visit them just from July 8th. to July 13th. to be able to spend time with all three grandbabies - and their parents, of course! Nick, Titi and Reggie were spending a couple months there for Nicks internship. It is so nice to have them living withing an hour of each other.


I realize I need to get better at taking pictures! I always have my camera with me, but I get so busy with them that I forget to take the pictures! Thank goodness Karsen, Titi and Raqui are always ready with their cameras and they always share with me!

While in Utah we were able to go to the Temple with almost everybody. We also celebrated Tito's birthday with a dinner (He turned 26!) and were able to visit with my nephew (I love him as if he were my son!) Billito, his wife Allison, and their adorable children, 'Balito' and new borned Clarita. We love our family and are so grateful to be able to travel to see them!

Princess Leah arrived!

I was able to go to Hawaii for the birth of Leah Raquel. She was borned while I was flying from LA to Hawaii. Perfect timing! Nick picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the hospital. I guess history repeats, because that's exactly what happened with the birth of Reggie: I went from the airport to the hospital! Little Leah was just one ounce short of six pounds! She had lots of hair! What a joy to have a little princess joined the family!
One month old now, and no longer 5 lbs. 15 ounces.




Oscar joined me in Hawaii two weeks later. We had such a great time! We "discovered" a place called "Kahuku Grill" We liked it so much, specially their 'banana bread sunday' that in ten days we ate there at least six times!!


We stayed in a nice hotel and Reggie loved visiting us there and swimming with us in the hotel pools and at the beach!


Reggie of course grew so much the days right after Leah's birth! He was not so sure how to react to the fact that now Leah is part of the family, but he really tries hard to be extra nice to her!
He cracks up when we take her from him! Funny boy.

Waiting and Waiting!

It has been two years and a month since we last saw Manny. We were so excited to see him again after his mission. Our family sure changed "some" while he was gone! Three grand babies were born, Danny, our youngest child left to go on his mission, and Titi was about to have her second baby. As a mother, I had the responsibility to bring balloons and a poster to the airport!


He didn't see us at first and he kept walking behind the glass doors! But then he saw us!


First it was Mom!


Then it was Dad!


Back to Mom!

Then back to Dad!

We honored Manny's wishes to be the only ones at the airport for his mission homecoming! We were very happy/emotional to see him! How sweet is the feeling to have him return with honor!


Manny came home Friday, August 27th. We went to the Temple on Saturday. He gave a talk and performed a musical number in Sacrament meeting Sunday morning, and flew to Utah Sunday afternoon to start classes on Monday morning! Thankfully, I was able to go and stay a few days in Utah with him!

Visit To Lion County Safari

While Titi and Reggie were here in Florida, we went to Lion Country Safari on May 28th. There were two things that Reggie absolutely loved: The water mist and his chance to drive the Yukon! He did not even notice the lions!! But that's ok. Maybe he will see them next time we go.

Youth Pioneer Trek

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We had so many great experiences during our youth Pioneer Trek! We joined with the Fort Lauderdale Stake for it. Over 200 youth participated. Our Stake, Pompano Beach, had ten families, each family had between 9 and 10 "children" plus the ma/pa. Ft. Lauderdale Stake had nine families. We - the leaders - had some planned obstacles for the youth. The first was a big tree in the middle of the path, we thought that would force the families to un load the carts, carry the cart over the tree and then load everything again. This was a task to be performed only by the young men, no help from adults. Our wonderful young men tried once, twice, three times... could not move the tree. They decided to do exactly what we had planned. Suddenly, one of the young men reminded the others about prayer. They said a prayer asking for strength to move the tree, got up and tried again...They moved the tree!!! It was such a sweet experience! We (the leaders) realized we underestimated our youth! We did not plan on them thinking about praying! I was most impressed when they decided they also needed to have a second prayer - to thank the Lord!


The boys trying to move the tree.

We had a girl walking at the back of her "family" always holding the hand of a young man. I did not think anything of it, but was so touched when I realized this was a 21 year old young woman, walking with her brother who is autistic! Then I started paying more attention to them: Every time we stopped, she would take his shoes off, check his feet to make sure he had no blisters, clean them and put his shoes back on. Since we only had broth for dinner the first night, she got up early the following morning, went to the canal/river and caught fish, cleaned them up, cook them and fed her brother! I was taught many great lessons just by observing her!

I was most impressed with our mas and pas. We had all kinds of couples, but I realized we are all in this together, it sounds cliche, but it is so true, particularly when we are talking about gospel living. Each family was so different, but no better or worse than the other. We had two families with only mas - Sister Cristina Cardenas and Sister Krissia Monsees. They were so wonderful! Originally Cristina was going with her husband, but his health did not allow him to go, so last minute she asked Krissia to go with her. But the night before the trek, as I was working the last details, I received a phone call. We had about eight more youth who wanted to go! I did not have the heart to leave them behind, so I called Cristina and Krissia and asked if they would be willing to each lead one family. They were worried, but accepted. They were so wonderful, and the young men assigned to their families rose to the ocassion in such a great way!

One of the young men from this late group was a non member. During our testimony meeting he shared with us how he didn't know if he should be baptized, but when he was in "solo time" he prayed and ask Heavenly Father to give him an answer. After his prayer he opened his scriptures and they opened where the story of Jesus' Baptism is recorded! He recognized the answer and will be baptized this weekend! Was I glad I decided to let this group joined, even when it was so late!! The Spirit must have been whispering to my ear, no doubt about it!



Here I am talking with the other Stake YW President, Sister Peck.




We all had such a spiritual experience. The feelings stayed with me for over a week. And now I even feel physically renew, and my poor husband, well, like he puts it, he got his wife back!