boo hoo!!!

Well, today we went and picked up a Kindergarten registration packet for Ellie. :::WAHHH!!!!::: She told me the other day not to worry because she wasn't going to school right now! Kindergarten roundup is at the end of February and I was prepared to camp out in order to get morning kindergarten, but they don't work that way at this school, so I will have to trust God that He will place Ellie with the teacher that He has planned for her in the time that He has for her. I will be praying for morning, but trusting Him.

Ellie was so excited to see kids playing in the kindergarten yard as we walked by. She has it all planned out that she and Lily can play on the swings together at "the park". She was also thrilled to see that they have sand and decided that she should wear her flip-flops - cause thats what you wear in the sand. Too cute! I did have to tell her that she would need to wear actual shoes to school - that seemed fine with her as long as she got to play in "the park". I can see it now - we will have sand everywhere!!!!

mission: organization!

Ok, so if you know me - I mean really know me - you know that I am NOT at all an organized person! I have moments, brief as they might be, but moments of organization. I can organize someone else, I love organizing someone else's stuff. I just helped my cousin get her house ready for their baby - it is so easy to throw someone else's junk, um, I mean treasures, away. And I don't really have that much trouble throwing my own rubbage away - it is just that day-in, day-out junk that piles up. I say that I am a piler (not sure if that is a word) - I move my piles around the house. The piles shrink ever so slightly, but they still remain and it really drives me absolutely batty!!!!! So, I enlisted Flavio for his support! I would like to think that the only reason my house is in disarray is because of his suits and paraphernalia lying around the house and not at all due to me in any way shape or form. So, I am tired, frustrated, annoyed, you choose, of the clutter around the house - I started on Sunday with our bedroom - there was one corner that just collected stuff - a box that had been there from when we moved in two years ago and then just other things that have piled up. This is my mission - I want to get the house in order and figure out some system that makes sense to my pea-sized brain and that I can follow through with! I have plenty of room to store the stuff I just need a better system or rather I need a system!!!

So, that is my plan - you can keep me accountable - and I would love your suggestions! I am sure that I have strengths in some areas of my life (still trying to figure those out) but the neat, orderly, organized gene completely skipped me and went right to my brother - who married a wonderfully organized woman. I wish they could give me a little of their gene . . . until scientists figure out how to do that I am stuck with the ones I've got.

Happy sleeping to you all - off to dream about a thoroughly organized house!

weekend in review

Well, here is what happened this weekend in the Castro family . . .
Friday started out normal - Lily had boogies, but nothing to be concerned with - it was clear and her breathing was a bit wheezy so I was giving her her breathing treatment (the girls have asthma). As the day progressed her breathing didn't seem to be getting better, but it didn't really seem to be getting worse. We put her down for bed around 8, gave her some tylenol or motrin (can't remember which at the moment), turned the humidifier on and off to sleep she went. That is until 12:22 (don't you just love digital clocks!)! She woke up crying and really struggling for breath. Not a fun time. Flavio and I looked at each other trying to figure out what to do and . . . off to the ER I went. We checked in at about 1am and ended up leaving a little before 5am! The long and the short of it after a chest x-ray and a breathing treatment the dr said she has pediatric pneumonia and sent us home with a steroid, an antibiotic, and a flovent refill (inhaler). A fun way to spend your Saturday morning! It is amazing that through a crazy time like that I can still see how God was so gracious to us -

• Lily is doing great and running around like there is nothing wrong.
  
• But even practically in the small things - when we got to the ER there weren't very many people there - there was one mother with her small son before us, but that was it. Because I said that Lily was having trouble breathing we were taken right away - we got one of the last beds (in a room) in the ER. By about 3:30 am - they were putting people on beds in the hallway.
• Lily was so good - she just snuggled up with me finally falling asleep for about 45 minutes.
• She was so cute - she kept grabbing my shoulder and saying "m' on" - come on - she was ready to go - she had had enough and wanted to get home.
• Flavio was off this weekend! God knew we would need him home!
  

We go to the doctor today to see how she is doing. She is as happy as ever - Praise the Lord.

Well, that was pretty much the "highlight" of the weekend. Ellie still got to go to both of the birthday parties she had been invited to - we took turns I took her on Saturday and Flav took her yesterday.

Hope you had a great weekend free of trips to the ER!

NOAH!!!

Today Noah Thomas Garrison was born!!! He is so adorable! Karla, my cousin, was scheduled for her c-section next Monday, but God and Noah had other plans. He was born at 1:27 this morning!!!

I will get better pics, I grabbed these off of Costco from my mom. He is adorable!!!

totally crazy . . .

Ok, so I went on one my frequent blogs to get an update on little bitty reese and noticed that they had this counter on their page - I thought, well that would be kinda interesting to see how many people come to my blog. I figured that there might be two or three people each day - one of those being my mom and another being my sister-in-law, Karla, so that leaves a possible one unique visitor to my blog. Well, what to my surprise when I saw that in one day 33 people made a stop right here!!!! Totally shocked me! I didn't even know that there were 33 people who knew about my blog!!! Since I added the counter last week I have had 318 page loads! That is just TOTALLY CRAZY to me!!!

So, here is my question . . . who is, aside from mom and Karla, checkin' me out??? I'm just way too curious! Leave me a comment.

Have a splendid day, well, actually evening!
I will post more tomorrow - we are going to The KidSpace Museum with TMK - Ellie Grace is so looking forward to it and so am I! We will certainly have a blast!

lily's new word

Over the past few days I have heard Lily saying this word, and not really sure I was hearing what I thought I was hearing . . . that is, until today! Yes, my sweet little girl has added a new word to her vocabulary - I am not really certain what the word means but the pronunciation is certain - the word sounds an awful like another word, one I don't think I have or ever will utter. You know, the one that sounds like F**K - you figure it out!!!

I am trying to figure out what she is saying. When she says the word I look around to see if there is something that has the same sounds, beginning, middle or end, but I cannot find anything. She was holding a stuffed squirrel today and repeating this lovely word - well, in all honesty I kept asking her what it was so I could hear what she was saying :o)


When my niece was about the same age she used the same blessed word for her fork - that was so hysterical! Of course, we had to hold up a fork and ask her "what is this?" just so we could hear the awful word come out of our precious and pure little one's mouth.

I must say it is only funny if those words are not a part of your vocabulary.

When I figure out what she is saying I will get it on video, camera phone, and then post it on my blog. Gotta document!

challenged

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of you mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.

My dear, old (not OLD, but just a friend I have known for about 20 years) friend, Amy, was here this last week and we were able to carve out a few hours to meet up for coffee (although Ellie was a bit confused because I don't drink coffee, but she, Ellie, told me I could have tea :o) - anyways, it was a great time to sit and talk without children around to interrupt! We talked about everything, but mostly things of a spiritual nature and she sure challenged me more than she probably realized! My God is a BIG God, He is the creator of the universe, giver and taker of life, King of kings and Lord of lords and way too often I think that He is the one in need of my help! Yeah right!!!!!

I love this verse - I have been set apart by the Lord God Almighty and I need to be spending less time in the things of this world, as it is going to pass, and more time renewing my mind so that I might be able to better discern the will of God for my life and my family!

I am so blessed to have Amy and many others like her in my life to challenge me and so many of you challenge me and my walk with the Lord without even knowing it! Which makes me wonder if I am doing the same? Is my life one that others would want to emulate? or are they looking at me as a "What NOT to do?" - goodness I hope not!!!

I was reading in Matthew 7 today - where it says that not everyone who says to the Lord - "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven - (Matt 7:21-23) always a frightening thought . . . but then Jesus goes on to say in verses 24-27

24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

So my question to you is . . . are you the wise man or the foolish man? Are you firmly planted upon the Rock - meaning the Word of God? Have you surrendered your life fully and completely to His will and as Romans 12:2 says not conformed to this world, but transformed by the Word of God? My heart's desire is that you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and that you will spend eternity with God in Heaven!

The imagery of a house on the sand is very easy to understand for those of us in sunny Southern California - we see the water eroding away at the sand year after year and how it can easily overcome anything without a firm foundation.

I do pray for you who do not know Christ that you would feel a tugging at your heart and that you would desire to spend all the days of your life serving Him. If you are feeling that tugging please don't ignore it - you know where to find me!

Love to you all and have a great weekend!!!

anything interesting happen to you????

Well, as a matter of fact . . . YES!!!!
Yesterday started out as any other day - my neighbor brought her girls over (we swap on wednesdays so she can work in her older daughter's classroom - anyways . . .), they went home, we ran some errands and got home around 1pm. SO . . . I walk upstairs to put Lily in her crib for her nap and as I was walking up the stairs something seemed . . . well, out of order . . . and then it HIT ME!!! The shelves above my computer in our office niche had come CRASHING down along with ALL of the boxes, supplies, scrapbooks, papers, you name it that were being held off of the ground by them. I am only sad that I didn't grab my camera and take a picture - so unlike me!!!

I must say I think that Flavio may have something to do with it . . . I am still trying to figure out where he was between 11a and 1p yesterday . . . I mean he says he was at work . . . but, he has been pressing me to CLEAN THE OFFICE so you can understand my suspicions!!!

So, an hour or so and a very full trash bag later I was finished with the preliminary clean-up.

I thought I should call my "contractor" who put the shelves up to see if I might have any recourse against him and his "work", but after talking to him for a few minutes and explaining the situation he informed me that there was nothing that I could do and I had probably put too much weight on the shelves . . . well . . . needless to say I was not happy by that response, but really what am I supposed to do - that is the price you pay for "hiring" your dad!!! :o) Come to think of it . . . I don't think I paid him!!!

So that was my fun afternoon yesterday - anyone have a fun story I'd love to hear it - post a comment.
Here's to a less eventful day!

biker chic lily

Ok, so one more post for today – gotta make up for lost time –
here is Lily – my little biker chic – too cute, I couldn’t pass this one up!
Could she be ANY cuter?!??!?! Oooh, I just love this little girl!!!!

impromptu slumber party

I know – twice in one day – what is going on?!?!? Well, tonight we have a special treat – my niece, Alyssa, is spending the night. She is on Christmas vacation from kindergarten and we thought we would take advantage of that and see if she could come spend the night. Well, the girls are snuggled in the play room having a “camp out”. Alyssa and her family gave Ellie and Lily the cutest little garden house tent – we set it up in the play room and created a little bed out of it. My parents gave Ellie a sleeping bag and flashlight (along with other camping paraphernalia) which are both being put to good use tonight – in fact, I hear the flashlight clicking on and off as I write :o). They gathered a couple of books and are reading to one another. Really so cute! They are at such a sweet age where they play so nicely together and include Lily – which makes her so happy! God was so good to give Ellie Grace such a sweet cousin. What fun memories are being made! I think we have cookies on the agenda for tomorrow – after pancakes or waffles for breakfast, of course!

The evening started with a little dress up and alternating between Dora and playing in the play room upstairs. Notice Lily doing just what the big girls do!

crazy little girls!
snuggled in "bed"
so cute!

december catch-up

Well, where has 2007 gone? Christmas has gone and we are already two days into 2008! How crazy is that??? Well, my blogging took a backseat to all of the festivities, but here are a few pics from our many Christmas celebrations – and oh, if you are waiting for a Castro Christmas card – it will be coming, I just don’t know how early you will be getting it for Christmas ’08! Be patient!!!

Christmas Eve
getting ready for Santa - gotta taste what you are making -
I'm sure all the chef's are doin' it!

Christmas Morning!
So cute - Lily really got the idea of presents this year - she is a pro now!

My personal favorite - Mrs. Clause must have put in a lot of hours on that bedding!

Our first kid-made gift! Ellie and I made this at Master's Kids and it was so cute - Flavio put it on right away - totally made her day!

FIGHT ON!!

all tuckered out!

Christmas with The Castro's
Due to all of the crazy schedules we got to celebrate Christmas throughout the week - so on Friday night we had Christmas with my in-laws! The girls had so much fun!

don't you love the pose!

I know this is a bit blurry, but it is for Auntie Karla!

My camera has been acting up, so I didn't get pics from the craziness at my parents' house - thankfully my mom has a few!!!

I'll do more catch-up tomorrow!