¡Fiesta!

N8 and I in our decided to put forth an effort of fellowshipping for our Ward and throw a Fiesta!! Anyone and everyone was invited to attend, but especially those of Latin decent. I spent the week decluttering, cleaning and figuring out what recipes I would make. All the while friends were RSVP to the Facebook event.
Finally Friday arrived and we had 23 guests (some spouses were separate, some together + kids) say they were coming. Plus we knew of a few more not on facebook that planned to be here. It's hard planning for an undetermined number of people!
I decided to make Blueberry Empanadas and Polvorones de Canele (Cinnamon Cookies). I really liked the empanadas, the cookies were so so.

Guests began arriving around 6:20pm and just kept coming!

We had 2 large very full of candy pinata's and lots of children waiting the give them a whack!


When the last friend had left and we got the kids off to bed N8 and I made a quick list of everyone that came at one point or another. The grand total~115!! I could not believe it. We had a great time and hopefully everyone that came did as well. I really think we need to do these gatherings a little more often!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Happy Birthday to the best mom ever!

1st day of Preschool-take two...

So we have a group of friends that is doing an at home preschool and it started today for Mo. It will be two days a week for 2 hours. We will be rotating who is teaching, themes, letters, colors, etc.

Today preschool was at Dexter's house and they were working on Colors! Here they are just after arriving sorting pipe cleaners into colors:

One of the activities was painting toast with colored milk. Mo brought some of his toast home!

Highlights included: painting, watering the grass & learning about colors.

1st day of Preschool...

Today marked Mo's first day of preschool. He was super excited. It is through our city and is 2 mornings a week for 3 hours. He is in Miss Yoko and Miss Liney's class.


Today's highlights included writing the letter "M", painting an apple, having popcorn for snack and a little boy named Benjamin being mean and going to time-out!

Labor Day Landscaping...

We're gearing up for a ¡Fiesta! that we're having on Friday!! Today we tackled one of the front flower beds to make the front of the house a little more happy! Or previous efforts had been lost on winds blowing everything, plants dying and more recently a pipe blow out. The flower bed was in pretty bad shape. Many moons ago we had discussed making a border out of pavers. I have a strong dislike for the standard scallop border!
This kids were fairly helpful (including one of the neighbor kids!).

I put int he border

And N8 put in our "dry river"

Add some new plants and we're good to go!

Now if only we could figure out how to tackle the backyard!

Home Depot Kids Workshop

Yesterday we attended another Home Depot Kids Workshop! Nothing like a few hands on activity for the kids!
They assembled and then painted message boards:



Next month~Duct Tape Pennants!

On a reading rampage!

I love to read. I remember the summer after 6th grade reading and reading and reading. I love how it takes you into a different world. It paints a picture that allows you to escape the world you're in.

I do have issues with reading. When I start a book, I have a VERY hard time putting it down. Recently I've started doing some reading. It had been a while. I hadn't allowed myself to read so that I could get other things done-like take care of my family, clean the house and cook dinner!

But before the last and final installment of Harry Potter I decided to reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (for the 3rd time!). I didn't allow myself too many late nights of reading and I read it in about a week.

Then on our trip to Idaho Bud started reading the Harry Potter books. On the trip he read the first book. I had also packed Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, thinking he might like it. Instead I devoured it!
I came home and quickly read the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. While in Idaho I had also borrowed The Help from my mom. What a great book (and movie btw!). That one I started in the morning and about midnight that night finished it!
Then I realized that we didn't own book 4 or 5 in the Percy Jackson series! I found a friend that had a copy and finished those off last week.

Yesterday I started reading The Last Hero, written by the same author as the Percy Jackson series. I'm loving it. It's my first book to read on N8's Kindle. So far I'm enjoying the Kindle as well.
Bud has also been reading a lot. Since coming home from Idaho, less than a month ago he has read book 2,3,4 and just this week the 5th Harry Potter book! I love that he is enjoying reading and hope that he continue to find a joy in reading as he gets older!