Awww...I Love Her Too!

Sometimes I'm just very lucky and happen to catch just the sweetest moments! Here's Pistol and my aunt (TiaTela) whom I happen to love very much too!

She's a super great aunt and a wonderful person. My mom's youngest sis and only a few years older than me. She's shared many a secret of mine along the way, and has often been the first to hear many a good news (and not so good news) from me. I know exactly why Da'Gorgeouses love her so much!





I couldn't decide whether I liked the color or b&w the best, so I posted them both!

I'm Thankful For My Inheritance...

I always post about my wonderful immediate family, my mom & dad (Grammy & Welo), and my sis Tia NaNa & her dh NoMike. Growing up it was always just my sister and I (6 years apart in age). Although there is such difference in age between us, we're still very close. Because we were just two, I must admit that marrying, well, not just marrying but being introduced into DrillSgt's family was a very overwhelming experience. As I've said before, DrillSgt. is the third oldest of TEN children. My formal introduction into their family was at my (birth order #5) bil's wedding to his beautiful wife.

Let me tell you, there's nothing like a joyous occasion to be introduced formally to "the family". When I met them DrillSgt's youngest brother and sister were 11-teen and ten (yes, my youngest bil told me he was 11-teen). I remember feeling quite overwhelmed at family gatherings. There were always so many different conversations going on, often times right over your head, and the youngest two would stand in the middle of the room speaking loudly, just hoping that someone would pay attention to them. I remember sitting back, just watching it all happen around me, wondering how in the world they all did it, and feeling totally out of my element. I mean growing up we had extended family gatherings, but those usually involved separate groups of adults, kids playing outside; or if we were all together in one area, there was singing and guitars and other instruments being played (my uncles and aunt had a family band called "Los Santos").

So much time has passed since then, DrillSgt and I are coming up on 13 years of being married, so it's been 14 years since that first overwhelming experience. Through those years, I've been fortunate enough to get to know my inherited siblings very well (I say inherited because when we married, we married INTO each others family---it's a package deal). I've watched them grow, and change, and we've all been there and supported each other through both joyous and difficult times. The 11-teen and ten year old are now in their early 20's (getting ready to formally bring in a couple of newbies themselves). After all these years I've even learned to navigate and take part in all those conversations that still occur all at once, and now it's my little ones standing in the middle of the room yelling for attention. I have also have an AMAZINGLY nice mil, and am ever so glad not to have any of those mil horror stories to share. I'll have to admit, one of the best parts is that I've also truly been blessed with 3 super great SIL's (who married in like me), 2 BIL's one who's been a tour guide from the get go (he was there LONG before any of the rest of us), and a newbie we're all just getting to know (welcome!!), and before I forget...quite a few GORGEOUS/HANDSOME/SUPER SMART nieces and nephews!

Here's a few pics...hoping to catch the others on Thanksgiving (be ready every one!).

Fun, Family & Snakes!

So my sister (the English major) called to thank me for fixing the typo in the title of my last post. Yes, I write late at night and yes, my brain doesn't usually function that well (the majority of the time it seems---please refer to mommy brain post). Anyway, here's some of the pics from my nephews b-day party (he's the older one in the pic with his family and the albino python) we attended on Saturday, it was a day filled with family and a few snakes, amazingly enough Da'Gorgeouses had no fear (yes, I know that fear is a learned behavior, but still)!

T-Riffic Day!!

Well, I have to admit we had a TERRIFIC day yesterday. We met my sil & bil downtown at our local Veteran's Day Parade, we were so glad to have them over for a visit! Da'Gorgeouses of course loved all of the extra attention and DrillSgt. and I had a nice time talking with both of them as Pistol and LongRifle went down for their nap. We almost had them convinced to go watch Madagascar2 with us (which was a fun movie btw), but SuperStar had a 3 1/2 hour drive ahead of her. So thanks for coming down for a visit---we hope to see you both again soon!










When we went to watch the movie LongRifle did something that kind of worried me (you know me the parent). I ran into a former (luckily a favorite) student of mine who works there, and while he was walking towards me to say hello, she ran right up to him extended her arms and let him pick her up! WHHHAAATTT??!!! I think the poor kid was more shocked at than I was....we're going to have to keep a real close eye on that little girl!

Another Fun Family Day...

Anyone want to take a wild guess as to which of Da'Gorgeouses
placed this cup here?

Fun With Family Pics

What a cutie our little cousin is!

We rarely get a chance to see everyone
it was such a special treat.

Of course, the older cousins loved holding Da'Gorgeouses.

Caught in mid smooch!

She must get it from her dad (that's MY cousin)!

The first set of twins in our family (aren't they darling?!?!).

Cousins

There's just nothing like a get together with family. It's what I remember the most about my younger years, we always had get togethers with my uncles/aunts and all the cousins would play. Well night before last we decided that if my mom was game at inviting everyone over we could have a get together at our house. Da'Gorgeouses had a wonderful time, playing with, chasing, being chased, being held and loved by so many people, but they had the best time ever playing with all of their cousins.

Pics to be posted soon.

A Day With Tia Na-Na

I am seriously blessed to have a wonderful sister. Can you believe she drove OVER an hour to watch Da'Gorgeouses for me yesterday? Can you also believe that NOT once did they cry while she was baby sitting them?! I asked her to guest blog her experience with them, from what she was telling me it was one hilarious moment after another. Maybe I can still have her do that, I think it'd be neat to have her write it from her point of view. Bottom line is, she did an amazing job with them (which I knew she would) and had a fun, but exhausting day taking care of them. She's off to work now, so that will be that last time I can ask such a HUGE favor of her. THANKS Tia Na-Na, you're a life-saver (the cherry kind 'cause they're my favorite!).


Work seems to be going okay, I'm getting the hang of it all but I'm still feeling the stress of having to complete everything before I leave to come home and in the allotted time. Back in the day, (before Da'Gorgeouses) I brought work home, graded papers, entered grades, or just stayed late after school (all those people that say teaching is an 8:30 am to 3:00 pm job, need to show me how that is even possible---I need to learn before next year!). Anyway, that staying late, bringing home papers, sooo NOT happening now, and making sure I get it all done in the 3 hour time frame is really exhausting!

Please Pray...

My parents are once again driving to Texas, this time with last minute notice. It seems that my TxG (grandmother on my dad's side) is not doing well. The last time they went for a visit she had just been dx with Stage 4 cancer, she has been undergoing treatments since then, but has continued to lose weight rapidly. She was hospitalized on Tuesday and will be released today, however hospice care is already being set up. So they'll pack their bags and leave tonight. God's speed.

This picture was taken during their

last visit this year (late May).

This is a pic taken by my uncle at his last visit

2 weeks ago, before her hospital stay.

Pistol's Other Twin

It's true, Pistol and LongRifle are twins, there's no denying it, but she also has a personality twin, my sis, her Tia Na-Na. Have I mentioned that Pistol is the one that quite often makes me crazy? If I had any time for it, she's the one that would drive me to drink! She's super smart, witty, headstrong, assertive, wants everything her way, and to top it off, she's 2 going on 30---LOL!! Now, before I go any further I must add something, I LOVE and ADORE my sister, I enjoy hanging out with her, shopping with her is a blast! I miss her dearly and will often pick up the phone to talk to her, AND if she's in trouble my entire life pretty much stops until I figure out how I can help her. That being said, Tia Na-Na is pretty much an older version of Pistol (only now she's 30+ going on 16), if she weren't my sis AND my best friend (holder and confidant privy to all my secrets) and I didn't love her so much, to tell you the truth, she probably wouldn't be in my life---she's always made me nuts---LOL!! (I know you're reading this, laughing and nodding your head, you know it's all true)

Anyway, whenever we go visit or hang out with Tia Na-Na and TioMike (which we did this weekend) Pistol is attached to her at the hip. This time was no exception, and quite frankly, was probably a little worse. Any time we lost sight of Tia Na-Na, Pistol would howl, tears would drip down her beautiful face and she would scream, "Tia Na-Na, where's Tia Na-Na? I want Tia Na-Na!!", it was hilarious and at the same time a little scary. We went shopping at Tar*get and as soon as we put Pistol in the cart she looked over at my sis and said, "Tia Na-Na DRIVE!", that was the last I saw of my child for at least 45 minutes.

I'm glad they get along so well. Tia Na-Na even recognizes Pistol as her personality twin. I truly think she's even avoiding having kids of her own, lest one turn out like her. She says having her double visit is all good, but she's exhausted afterwards. She also adds something about having to be seriously medicated to have one 24/7 (thanks for the compliment!). Believe me when I tell you, it's nothing we've done to make their personalities that way, it's just genetics (if you don't believe me, just ask my mom). The way I see it, God gave me Pistol because I'd already had the practice, not to mention there's a reason for having personality traits like that, when you need it, it helps you to survive. From the time she was born, Pistol's headstrong, fighting, contrary personality shone through, and that's what helped keep her alive. By the way, I've already told Tia Na-Na, Pistol may be headed her way in the future. I've got to have a plan in place if I'm ever to survive those teenage years! LOL!!!

Our Camping Experience

So we're back from our camping trip and I must say OVERALL it went very well. Da'Gorgeouses had a spectacular time during the day. They played with their cousins, climbed, fell down, played in the dirt, ate S'mores, and basically LOVED every minute of it...until it came time to go to sleep. LongRifle was the only one that had a really tough time, Pistol fell asleep just fine. I knew we would have trouble though, LongRifle is the one that always sleeps fitfully whenever we are out of the house, she's my hotel gymnast, the one I sleep with. Only this time EVERYONE had a taste of the wailing into the wee hours of the morning. Poor kid, non-stop until midnight, then off and on again until she fell into an exhausted deep sleep somewhere around 4 am, or was it 5:30?!

Anyway, here are a few pics...

My bil (DrillSgt's brother) and sil (super organizer!)

Aren't they cute?!

On a walk with the crew...

My adorable niece and nephew (bil & sil kids),

Awwww, how cute is that?!

Just keepin' it real! LOL!!

One of my favorites....

TheG

My grandmother, aka Welita or (theG) is 86 years old, at least I think she is. ANYWAY, she's in her 80's and doing very well. She gets around on her own, more slowly than she used to, but still, she walks A LOT. She sometimes has a room mate, but for the most part, lives independently. She's in full control of her faculties and likes to dress in eye-catching clothes. I hope someday when I get to be her age, I'm as healthy and strong and independent as she is. I love the fact that she (and my grandfather) took care of us when my mom & dad were working, and that Da'Gorgeouses have been fortunate enough to spend time with her. They LOVE her sense of humor, the songs she sings to them and her sparkly blouses and shoes. I'm also glad I have pictures of them spending time with her.

Pistol checking out her shoes.

LongRifle checking out her sparkly blouse.

Bossy

We head out camping tomorrow and I'm both nervous and excited. I'm not the kind of person that's really big on camping, not at all the outdoorsy type, but I can actually say I'm excited for Da'Gorgeouses. I really think they're going to love it. I mean all their cousins around, the great outdoors, water, bugs, animals, lots of food, smores, sleeping in a tent, all the new first-time experiences! I seriously doubt they'll sleep very much, LongRifle in particular, she's has super X-men hearing capabilities so I'll bet she's up at the crack of dawn telling me she heard the sun rise up over the mountains.

Speaking of LongRifle telling me things, that girl cracked me up today. I was getting ready to change her diaper and placed her on the changing table, she suddenly put her hand out in front of my face and shouted "STOP! Stop mamá, stop!" when I didn't pay any attention to her and proceeded with what I was doing she said, "Why you no listen to me?!" I just about died laughing! There's only ONE person in our family she could have picked up that phrase from....WELO!! Plenty of times growing up I've heard that phrase, and in listening to him correct Da'Gorgeouses I know he's still using it. "Stop, why don't you listen to me?!" My father's voice coming straight to me from my own child. How cool is that?

Grammy brought Welita (theG) over to visit. She took her to the pool so that she could watch Da'Gorgeouses swim today. They did very well, LongRifle went underwater (with help) and liked it so much she asked to do it again a couple of more times. Pistol wasn't too thrilled with the whole thing so she only did it once. She was content to fill up and pour water out of a bucket and back into the pool. She would entertain herself like that for hours if we let her. Pistol will keep to herself most of the time, she will interact with the pool staff and her sister but she's not too interested in playing with the other kids nearby, at least not yet. LongRifle however, immediately began bossing the other tiny tot around, "come back" she shouted or "get the ring!" she'd say, I had to remind her to at least say please. The little boy was a good sport, but for the most part he enjoys keeping to himself too---I guess I can't blame him, who wants to spend their half hour in the pool being bossed around by a girl?! (Hmmm, now that I think of it, DrillSgt. has been spending an awful lot of time this summer outside by himself)---LOL!!

Beach Pics 2

I took Susan's advice from one of her photo tip Friday's on taking pictures at the beach. I can only dream of my pictures being as beautiful as hers someday. However, I had a great time trying to capture my own moments on our day trip to Morro Bay (these pics taken north of "The Rock"---geography ala DrillSgt.), so here they are!

This one's for Tia Na-Na who from day one,

has been in love with these feet!

Pistol posing touching her "sandwich feet" for Tia Na-Na!

They walk so much alike...

it has to be genetics! LOL!!

AND my ABSOLUTE FAVE PIC OF THE DAY!!

We've enrolled Da'Gorgeouses in swimming classes again this year M-F for 2 weeks. Tiny Tots 1 is what they're in, the objective being to get them to immerse their face in water (without sucking it all in)---LOL!! It started Monday and if I can figure out how to take pics AND be in the water with them maybe you'll see some of it. Grammy & Welo wanna go to the pool to watch Da'Gorgeouses swim?

Beach Pics 1

It all started out innocently enough,

a nice, quiet stroll along the seashore...

when suddenly the sand caught our interest,

so much that we even discovered what it tasted like!

Luckily, Welo was there to help us out!

Day Trip w/ Grammy & Welo

So we took a day trip with Grammy & Welo.

Mamá thought this pic would be cute because she says

WE are her shiny pearls!

I totally fit into these shoes!

Hi! Look at me! I'm up here on Welo!

Pfft! Piece of cake mamá, look no hands!

Took time out for a little stretch...

and even saw some wildlife.

(Of course this might just be a plastic bag

not a jellyfish!)

**Stay tuned for more beach pics!