In four short days, Baby K will turn four months old! How time flies...
January 15th 2014 -- Baby K can ALMOST sit up on his own! Shall happen soon!
Hopefully this half of Baby K's family shall see much more of my sister and her son during the next third of his life -- difficult to really grasp that he will have spent a third of a year with us already! (Not including his time in utero of course!)
ALSO, TOMORROW, my aunt is getting married!! She and her husband-to-be have been together (or at least together-ish) for many MANY years now : ) Very happy for them both!! She just wants to get the papers so not a large wedding at all, but has said she wants to have a celebration once she moves from Nevada back here to CA and we shall celebrate then!!
Yesterday and today the "new" family within the Mena family went to both Disneyland (stayed in Anaheim overnight) then to California Adventure; finally were picked up late this evening and came by for a short goodbye visit! Time has flown by so quickly, hopes that they have a safe journey home and remember what a wonderful time they had visiting different family and friends!
As I mentioned this past Sunday, we were planning to have dinner with family [friends] who are visiting the U.S. from Mexico for a very short visit (only one week! Usually they stay in CA for a week but spend at least a second week traveling elsewhere in the U.S.)
Not only did the family visit (and we had a wonderful dinner!) but my sister also came over with her son Baby K!! Overall a very happy Sunday!! While I forgot - of course - to actually take photos once dinner started, I did take two or three photos of the set up as well as Baby K... Oh, and as usual, I was asked again (in person instead of email this time) to go and visit Mexico.
Baby K "talking" with his abuelo (grandpa)!!
Prior to dinner (snacking)
Table set for dinner!
Keeping food warm (they got stuck in traffic
in Hollywood! Luckily all food was enjoyed)
Several large roadblocks on my end about going to visit Mexico (although
I know they would take GREAT care of me, have gone several times in the
past with family) -- firstly, I do not practice my Spanish often AT ALL
so I feel inadequate when I do visit and everyone is beyond fluent and
speaks quickly; secondly I feel guilty about having others pay for me to
go somewhere that I am afraid of the potential violence (not from the
family, but the news I keep reading about the drugs and negativity in
Mexico in general!!); thirdly, concern for my health... All keeps me
saying "not right now, but thank you very much for the offer to visit!!"
... Part of me knows that my reasons are silly. A larger part of me
wants to regress to a child and run to hide under a blanket until life
is "safe" again. Anyway, enough. Two last photos from Sunday --
also they should be coming by at least for a quick goodbye, if not for
dinner tomorrow (Thursday) night!! So we will get to see them twice
instead of just once which is great!!
Slightly blurry (sorry about that, my cell phone zoom is not great and no, have not gotten a camera still - not really worth the extra money at the moment) -- however this is the Angel that sits on top of my mini Christmas Tree!
Yes, I still have my tree up in my little space -- it is only four feet plus behind the curtain that is the window with the air conditioning unit balanced... Figured the weather will start to (slowly) warm up again soon, so why not leave the tree up? After all, it only was put into place a week before Christmas
Very likely one day I will wake up, decide to put away the ornaments (less than 20 -- compared to the garlands and regular Christmas tree this is nothing!), and the pre-lit tree will be placed back into its box. In the meantime I am allowing it to remind me of good things which is lovely!
Today is the first day of a new year -- prayers and hopes that good wishes/events/happy times are waiting for everyone during 2014. Especially lots of quality time with loved ones! ::HUGS::
Welcome to 2014! (sparklers ~ another online image)
P.S. In case you have not guessed, living in Southern California means that every New Year's Day is absolutely to include The Rose Parade! Perhaps many of you have seen it on television, or in person?
The last day of the year of our Lord 2013 has arrived! Many good things have happened over the past year... the last few months (and days!) of the year have brought trials and tribulations... Am very hopeful that 2014 shall help return everyone to a good place, better health, more time with family and friends, everything positive that is wanted/needed!
Ocean waves washing away 2013 and leaving a new 2014 (NYE)
One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was a desktop calendar for 2014 of Downton Abbey! Season Four of Downton starts on PBS here in CA in just a few short days - and I have yet to finish re-watching all of the first three seasons to catch up and get back into the wonderful world of Downton! Shall have to get right on that...
Downton Abbey 2014 Desktop Calendar
Have a good (and safe) New Year's Eve and may tomorrow be the start of a wonderful New Year for all!
Okay, today I really want to share with you an article I read by Forbes -- but then a fellow blogger (click here to read her blog: Sipping Lemonade) not only took the exact article, but ran with it by putting in her personal daily notes and sharing her post:
Would like to thank her for her post (and I should thank Forbes as well I suppose!) ... am going to give a sneak peak of my cousin R's wedding to C because I keep saying I will blog about it. Blog post is coming shortly, but to tide you over...
Two photos, from engagement shoot, then wedding day (by the quality you can tell they were professionally done and they look beautiful! Am glad my cousin -- and her husband! -- shared them with us)!!
Can you tell that I am just a *bit* excited about the facts that a) I have a nephew and b) today is exactly eight weeks from the day my family was with my sister in Labor and Delivery?? Baby K had a one month photo shoot... plus MANY casual photos these first few weeks of life! I shall simply say how much I love all of my family and particularly how proud I am of Baby K's parents for being wonderful (and his godparents - but his Baptism post shall come later. Maybe tomorrow?) Time to share photos!!
Baby K (one hour after birth)
Baby K "playing" with me at 15 days old
Baby K One Month Photo Shoot (inside treasure box)
Baby K One Month Photo Shoot (close up)
Baby K One Month Photo Shoot (on a cloud of blue tulle)
Look at this handsome "Tough Guy!"
Baby K is going to be a bookworm! : )
Can you tell we love the most recent addition to our family? Random fun fact: on one side of our family tree he is the third great-grandchild ... and all three are boys! Wonder what else the future has in store!
Well, not recently ^.^ I turned thirty back in March of this year -- but according to this blog that was only a couple of posts ago so I am not far behind at all! (Yes, I know that in real life I am behind by...wow. Okay, a little over eight months. Very behind. Oh well!) So this is one of two "formal" photos I had taken for my 30th birthday. I was incredibly blessed by a huge gift from my parents - a short cruise to Mexico! I received a few cards, bought a couple of books, and spent the day in pj's -- except I did go out to dinner and picked two slices of cake for my birthday treat. I know, I know, such a party animal! : ) I had the most wonderful relaxing time however, and felt very lucky on my birthday/during my celebrations! I did post it on here, but it was almost an afterthought -- my godson's feast day is my birthday which is great!
There are a couple of photos I found that I wanted to include in my last post which I found and am going to add now because I can -- my best friend lived only a few miles from our house growing up; after she double majored in French and English she traveled to France (with her Bachelor's Degree's under her belt she went to study and to celebrate)...and ended up finding her boyfriend/fiance/husband/father of her children! Luckily for all of us still in CA, they had a wedding ceremony here in addition to the one in France. And as I have mentioned time and time again, when they had their rainbow twins (a girl and a boy) - they chose me to be godmother to the little boy! Photos are from this past summer...
"Reading" me his picture book
My godson and his twin sister pushing/playing with swings
My godson climbing the mini rock wall so he could go down the big boy slide
Today, March 19th, is my godsons feast day! (In case you missed my Pope blog a few days ago, I am Catholic)
LOVE and miss my godson, his twin sister, and their family!
I am so excited and looking forward to their visit this summer!
First Summer Visit 2010
Second Summer Visit 2011
Third Summer Visit 2012
Plus an extra one of him laughing just to hold the place for many future visits and photos!
EDIT: Today is also my 30th birthday -- how lucky I am to have so many wonderful family and friends in my life! Thank God for my parents, my sister, and all of my family and friends! Love from me to you!
Today the Catholic Church once again has a Pope! The conclave finished voting (see image of white smoke below; white smoke is a confirmation of more than two-thirds majority whereas the previous votes went up in black smoke to indicate that we were still without a spiritual leader here on Earth)
After Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope (he will never again be addressed as such, only addressed by his new name -- for those who are not aware every new Pope chooses their name and his is significant!).... Here is an image from the first public appearance of Pope Francis I
(Sorry, am not positive who the two individuals standing behind him are)
Found this online as well and while a fake baseball card is amusing it also is a cute "cheat sheet" of facts about the new Pope! Two of the most important facts are that he is the first Pope from South America and that he is also the first Jesuit (the Jesuit priests are a particular order) Pope! Two wonderful firsts! Have to wait and see how his life as Pope will play out -- however he has an amazingly down-to-earth manner apparently. Some examples repeated often about this former cardinal is that he cooked some of his own meals, chose to live in a small and simple location instead of the lavish/larger options, and HE TOOK PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION REGULARLY TO VISIT "BAD" AREAS OF TOWNS TO HELP HOW AND WHERE HE COULD. Safe, blessed, what an example of living life simply -- hence "Francis" is the perfect (and first time ever chosen) new name of our Pope.
EDIT: God works in ways we cannot understand... so happy for a blogger I have been following for a while, she got the most unexpected news this week and stories like this post: THE LAST FRONTIER help me remember that I need to relax, keep breathing, take one step at a time.
Have I mentioned that I LOVE PBS's "Downton Abbey" enough times in the past few weeks? Also yes, I know I posted this exact photo about a week ago, but the shows go so quickly! Am very glad I decided to wait and buy seasons one and two on DVD (although I really wanted to watch them before!) since this month season three is brand new AND -- for those who have not yet found this wonderful and historically correct fictional show -- they have gotten the green light to film season four! Unfortunately the show cannot go on forever, it initially really was just to be right at the 1910-1920 mark and too many seasons will bring the show into modern times (which is not what they intend to do)... I shall still enjoy every minute produced and hope that many of you are/will be doing the same thing!
So the image above contains the two grandmothers (not a surprise to realize
that in the 1920's the grandmother on the left is from America, seeing
as her outfit reflects a much more "loose" society than the very strict
class structure we have been watching in previous seasons!) On the left is the lady of the houses' mother, played by Shirley
MacLaine. On the right is the lord of the houses' mother, played by
Dame Maggie Smith. Both are two of a large cast of wonderful actors and
actresses!!
My godson met Mickey Mouse (as seen above with his dad) but apparently his twin sister fell asleep and so she and mom are both not in this photo : (
I am both very happy and fairly sad that I missed the firstDisney trip (okay, by that I really mean missing ANY and all of their "firsts"!) with my godson, his twin sister, and their parents. It would not have been possible for me to fly to France however, and so I shall wait for an email about their adventure and in the meantime just enjoy the photos and fun that went on!
Also I have not been to Disneyland myself this year (yet? technically a few weeks left) and I would never begrudge anyone who had the opportunity to visit a Disney park! :)
Holiday Ornament Exchange Note:
If you did not happen to read my post yesterday "December 1st!" (or the original in November) you should go and take a look at the results of my first ever blog swap/exchange! My first daisy-chain holiday ornament giving/receiving was a ton of fun, and I am going to try and visit all of the blogs that participated to read their reveals (however nearly 200 of us took part so I am realistically hoping to comment on a third of the reveals -- no offense intended to anyone, just not enough hours in the day!)
I found this comic piece online and just HAD to post it! I realized that this is more or less how most of my family (and family friends) watch so many shows! Not exactly the yelling part, but there is absolutely conversations between the television and those watching the shows -- not to mention discussions during tv breaks :)
Prior to getting cable (and yes, that was many many years ago now, but still it is worth mentioning) I remember Jeopardy was the only show that anyone really talked to the television -- oh, and Wheel of Fortune. Nowadays however, most shows on HGTV (Home and Garden Television) particularly House Hunters, and shows on the cooking network, particularly Chopped -- well, there are lots of comments made. It makes it fun most of the time, but I never stopped to compare it to watching sports...
Talking to people (or about them!) who are on a show is pointless yet amusing... Have also realized that the closest most of my family and family friends watch when it comes to sports is whenever the Olympics are on. Sometimes there will be a football game on, but none of us really are the types to throw a gathering because of/surrounding any particular sport. I do enjoy watching ice hockey live (Staples Center, etc) and the occasional basketball game but really going to Dodger Stadium at times when growing up was/is the most involved I have been in sports. (Although my sister did play soccer for a couple of years when she was about four or five, so technically soccer as well)...
Hopefully everyone is enjoying the weekend and thankful that there is another holiday this week -- even if you do not celebrate Thanksgiving, it is always nice to take some time out of our lives and remember to be thankful for what we have (even if what we do have does not seem like enough -- or if it seems like too much!)
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
(This song/these images were just begging to be put online today -- yesterday/today/tomorrow there is, once again, finally rain where I am! So lovely!)
(Past few days have been a bit on the difficult side and am anticipating the next few days will be the same. Hoping that this song "This One's For The Girls" by Martina McBride, which is a bit more upbeat and sends a positive message for women of all ages, will help a bit. Reminds me to jump in heart and soul, to try again -- and that life goes on "From 1 to 99" years of age... Although I had two great-grandmothers who lived to be 100 and 107! Was debating several other songs, particularly something from either Andrea Bocelli or Frank Sinatra... But my mind cannot settle at the moment so I will stick with this one. I also enjoy her version of "Independence Day"...)
Lyrics: This is for all you girls about 13 High school can be so rough, can be so mean Hold on to, on to your innocence Stand your ground when everybody's givin' in This one's for the girls
This is for all you girls about 25 In little apartments, just tryin' to get by Livin' on, on dreams and spaghettios Wonderin' where your life is gonna go
This one's for the girls Who've ever had a broken heart Who've wished upon a shooting star You're beautiful the way you are This one's for the girls Who love without holdin' back Who dream with everything they have All around the world, this one's for the girls (This one's for all the girls)
This is for all you girls about 42 Tossin' pennies into the fountain of youth Every laugh, laugh line on your face Made you who you are today
This one's for the girls Who've ever had a broken heart Who've wished upon a shooting star You're beautiful the way you are This one's for the girls Who love without holdin' back Who dream with everything they have All around the world, this one's for the girls
Yeah, we're all the same inside (Same inside) From 1 to 99
This one's for the girls Who've ever had a broken heart Who've wished upon a shooting star You're beautiful the way you are This one's for the girls Who love without holdin' back Who dream with everything they have All around the world, yeah, this one's for the girls
(This one's for all the girls) Yeah, this one's for the girls (This one's for all the girls)
"When I was five years old, my parents always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy.' They told me I didn't understand the assignment and I told them they didn't understand life."
I do not know who wrote this, nor when I first read it, but it follows my life and thought process very well. [Although I am not sure this is the exact quote I read, but it is close enough]. So I have decided that today I am going to ramble a bit about being happy living life. I have believed from the time I was very young that being happy was the most important thing growing up. I understand that people can see "being happy" from different points of view, but for me being happy centers around family, nature, and an overall positive spirit.
Family and friends are quite important, not only because of the support they can offer you, but because of the support we can offer in return. Trying to be a good person, offering help, not deliberately hurting people, volunteering -- these are all positive things. I also think that having a family of my own one day will make me happy, but who knows -- perhaps being happy includes everything mentioned above (and either more or less!) but not being married.
At this point in my life I do not see how I would be completely happy without the love of my life being a part of my life, for me to support him and for him to be there to support me -- but life has gone on for so many people who say they are happy... And I know that I have had brilliantly wonderful happy moments/times in my life without being married. So perhaps this year I should step back from the idea that I have in my head that includes a husband (and child/ren) and focus more on myself and creating happy moments for others.
Not sure where my ramblings are going, have lost my train of thought for the moment, so I shall end this blog for now. I do hope that today everyone remembers something/some point in time that made them happy, and smiles at least once!
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